Coming full circle here as the first Philip Chase video that I watched was your round up for 2020. Only I didn't watch it when it came out but at the end of March this year when the YT algorithm decided that this should interest me. Watching it is doubtlessly on my list of excellent desicions for this year.😁 Piranesi is definitely on my list as well. It's world is so unique and tranquil that I wish it was a real place where I could go to marvel at the statues, maybe go for a swim in the indoor ocean or just sit and dangle my feet in the water while I watch the birds. And thanks to your enthusiasm I'm reading Dark Tower, just finishing The Drawing of the Three. But the biggest gift from this channel was Erikson and the Malazan World. Yes, we got off to a rocky start, but after all I was promised a transformative read, so I can hardly complain now, just because transformation can be a challenging process. Therefore my most surprising read of 2021 was The God is Not Willing. I was so convinced that I would not like it and that reading it at best would be a chore, that the amount of connection, emotional engagement and overall wonderful reading experience I got out of it completely baffled me. Love the name plate😍. And congratulation to 11,000 subscribers!
Thank you so much! For the first time ever, I am blessing the almighty and mysterious RUclips algorithm for bringing you to my channel! It has been a wonderful time interacting with you in the comments, and I'm so happy that you've gained something from Malazan and your other reads this past year. We are truly fortunate to be part of a group of people who love books and talking about books. There's so much to learn from each other. My very best to you for 2022!
@@PhilipChaseTheBestofFantasy Indeed the YT Gods have been good to us! Finding people who not just love books, but love and enjoy the same books is precious and I'm glad and honored to be part of this particular group of book friends. May 2022 be a wonderful year for you!
Thank you, Brittany! Piranesi still feels like a dream. The Wisdom of Crowds still makes me feel all the excitement and sorrow. It’s so cool how great stories stick with us. It was an honor and a pleasure to interact with you on BookTube this year, and my very best to you for 2022!
First of all, I LOVE the Dr. Fantasy nameplate! So awesome. I didn't get as much reading done in 2021 as I have in previous years. I think working from home and stress over the pandemic exacerbated my ADD and I just had trouble focusing on books this year. But of what I did read my favorites included (one non-fantasy): The Anubis Gates by Tim Powers The Broken Sword by Poul Anderson Les Miserables by Victor Hugo, translated by Julie Rose Piranesi by Susanna Clarke (hands down my favorite read of the year) I did re-read of a couple of my all time favorites this year - these are my comfort food books and they helped me get through a crazy year: Prince of Nothing trilogy by R. Scott Bakker Radiance by Catherynne M. Valente
Those are some great reads, and I'm glad to hear you enjoyed Piranesi so much, Jason! I wish you a much less stressful 2022 with some more wonderful books. Cheers!
Looking at Prof Fireballs and Dr Fantasy I get the impression that nemesis is a term of appreciation and endearment.😁😂 And I'm sure you know the answer to this video: A.P.'s top concepts of literary analysis in 2021.😁 Hope you had a great Christmas and wishing you a wonderful new year!
I’m so grateful to this community as well! Shadow of the Gods and Piranesi are books I want to read in 2022. (Well, to be honest any book with a dragon on the cover makes me want to read it, haha.) Seeing both on your list makes me even more eager to get to them.
LOL @ the nameplate. John Gwynne is automatic for me no matter what he writes going forward. Joe never seems to disappoint. Looking forward to trying some of his non-First law works this summer. So happy you enjoyed Wizard & Glass. I figured you would. Seems to be divisive among more recent readers.
Wizard and Glass is a stunningly beautiful book. Before, I felt awe for Roland, who was already one of the most iconic characters in literature for me. Now, I love him, and the series has taken on so much more pathos because of Wizard and Glass. Let’s see what the Path of the Beam brings next!
What you said about the importance of fantasy literature when it comes to imagination as part of what it means to be human really resonated with me. And as an academic in training (about to start my PhD in Literature) I share the hope that in the future, writers of fantasy fiction will be given the attention the quality of their work warrants. Great videos as always, and thank you for convincing me to move up Esslemont on the TBR by quite a few spots :)
My very best wishes to you, TJ, for your graduate work! The more of us in academia who recognize the potential of fantasy to speak to the human condition, the better (in my humble opinion). I hope you'll enjoy Esslemont's books!
@@PhilipChaseTheBestofFantasy Thank you, that is very kind and much appreciated. I remember you and AP and Esslemont himself discussing the fact that Night of Knives is structurally quite unique, so I'm looking forward to experiencing that. BTW, have you ever read any of Gaiman's Sandman? There's so much great stuff about the hopefulness of being able to pretend and dream in there, which I would argue is reiterated in the fictional and antimimetic character of fantasy narratives. And as a fan of Rake, I think you might appreciate Morpheus as well.
@@TJ_Kefali I love American Gods and The Ocean at the End of the Lane, but I’ve not yet read The Sandman. I fully intend to read it, but your recommendation makes it even more appealing. Thanks!
The Dr. Fantasy plaque in the background!! Thanks for a great video, and it was a great encouragement to continue on in Novels of the Malazan Empire and pick up the Dark Tower. Also I have Shadow of the Gods and The God is Not Willing on the shelf and haven’t had time to get to them but can’t wait. Did you try Project Hail Mary this year? That would be toward the top of my best reads list of 2021 next to The Wisdom of Crowds and the Bonehunters, and is an absolute delight of a story. Also books 2 and 4 of Shadows of the Apt would be in my top list, and I think you would definitely love those books, too!
I haven't tried Project Hail Mary yet, Benjamin, so I appreciate the recommendation! I hope you'll enjoy Dark Tower, The Shadow of the Gods, The God Is Not Willing, and the rest of the Novels of the Malazan Empire. Those should keep you out of mischief for a little while! Also, my very best to you for the coming year!
Wonderful Top Reads video, Philip! You have me so excited to get to The God is Not Willing and Wizard & Glass. I’m also looking forward to reading books by Ian Esslemont, Mark Lawrence, and John Gwynne. What a wonderful year of books and collaborations. You’re an inspiring presence in the book community, and we are so lucky to have you on here on BookTube. Great name plate, by the way! 😁
Thank you, Johanna! I'm so grateful to BookTube for introducing me to so many wonderful people like you, and I'm delighted that I'll be starting 2022 with a chat with you! I think that's an auspicious way to start the new year. I just discovered the origins of the nameplate (I wasn't sure when I made the video). It arrived courtesy of a certain friend of ours. I'll give you a hint: this person is a fan of Discworld, The Long Price Quartet, and the Greatcoat series, among other things.
@@PhilipChaseTheBestofFantasy Haha! I’m guessing his name rhymes with “talon.” Chatting with you will be a wonderful way to start the new year! Looking forward to it!
Great to see Wheel Of Osheim made the list! I cannot wait to reread the first 2 First Law books and finally continue with that series, im craving for Abercrombie after watching his interviews, a lot of what he was doing in FL went over my head since i read them way too early in my reading life. I've only read 6 books this year so this list will be short, but I enjoyed ALL of them! 1) Words Of Radiance by Brandon Sanderson - spectacular book, a ride from the first page. 2) Oathbringer by Brandon Sanderson - Sandersons best character work (Dalinar) and his most layered work I've read so far, my opinion of Sandersons writing has improved drastically after this. 3) Red Sister by Mark Lawrence - a tragic slowburn with one of the most lovable protagonists I've came across in a while. Nona is an absolute treasure and the exploration of self-hatred, coming of age and accepting yourself were executed beautifully. 4) Mort by Terry Pratchett - with only one book Pratchett has soared at the top of my favorite prose writers in the genre. A master of language manipulation and the most quotable and clever author that I've ever read. EVERYONE needs some Terry Pratchett in their life. 5) Warbreaker by Brandon Sanderson - this was a pretty good novel with good characzer work but ultimately as more time has passed it became kind of forgetable. Still had a good time tho. 6) Edgedancer by Brandon Sanderson - a fine novella and it made me care about Lift, but ultimately nothing groundbreaking. Next year is gonna be me finishing Stormlight Archive, Book Of The Ancestor and Book Of The Ice and hopefully, First Law. So many good books!
Those are some great reads behind you, and you have some awesome ones ahead, I think. My very best to you for all of them! Also, yes, Abercrombie gives a fantastic interview, and I hope you'll enjoy First Law this time around.
What a wonderful video, Philip! I have to say, finding your channel has been one of the great joys of my reading year. "Piranesi" was one of my favorite books of 2020, what a delight. It's multilayered in terms of interpretation, and it filled me with a sense of awe, discovery, and true mystery. In my review I compared it to my favorite book of all time "The Neverending Story", precisely because of the atmosphere and the sense of dread/wonder it conjures up. I am only just now getting started with the first First Law book, hugely enjoying it on a second read (I tried to read it earlier in the year and disliked it so much I actually included it in my worst reads of 2021 video...now I have completely changed my mind), so I am incredibly excited to hear you talk so passionately about Wisdom of Crowds. I have had the Dark Tower series on my shelves for years, but have never plucked up the courage to do it... so your mentioning book 4 makes me hopeful. Thank you for your thoughtful videos, I hope you have a great 2022! Juan
Thank you, Juan! I hope First Law will go better for you on the second attempt. As you probably know, not much happens in the first book, but the character work there pays off later. As for Piranesi, it’s simply a gorgeous book, and I agree with you about the wonder it holds. My very best to you for your reading in 2022!
I don't know if this is the first time that nameplate is there or if I totally missed it before, but I absolutely love it!! Anyway, this is a wonderful list of books, I am so happy to hear you found so many new favourites! I am so excited to dive back into the First Law world next year with my reread of the first trilogy and then continuing on to explore the world further in the rest of the books! And to stay in the grimdark trend, I am also very eager to finally check out Mark Lawrence's Broken Empire and Red Queen's War. Also completely agree with you that The Dark Tower is super unique and entertaining, I can't wait to pick up The Wastelands next month! Some of my favourites of the year are: - The Empire's Ruin by Brian Staveley - The Atlas Six by Olivie Blake - The Mask of Mirrors & The Liar's Knot by M.A. Carrick - The Paper Menagerie and Other Stories by Ken Liu - Exhalation by Ted Chiang - An Autumn War by Daniel Abraham - A Little Life by Hanya Yanagihara - Stones of Light by Zack Argyle - The Last Mortal Bond by Brian Staveley - The Starless Sea by Erin Morgenstern - Jade Legacy by Fonda Lee - Words of Radiance by Brandon Sanderson - The Huntress by Kate Quinn As you said, these are all faves because they left an impression and have stuck with me. Thank you for sharing this great list Philip! I hope 2022 will be full of new favourites for you as well ;)
Wonderful list, Esmay! This was the debut for the nameplate, which Allen from The Library of Allenxandria sent me for Christmas. I wish you the best for The Wastelands and all your other reads and for your studies and life in general in 2022!
@@PhilipChaseTheBestofFantasy Thank you so much, I really appreciate it! Best wishes for the new year to you too! I just want to thank you for everything you have done for this community this past year. Your videos and discussions stand out as some of my favourite content to watch on BookTube, I truly appreciate them so much. You never fail to bring across your enthusiasm and love of reading and I find your insights to be so valuable. Seriously, thank you for bringing so much joy into my days with your videos and inspiring me to study English (literature). I am excited to see what next year holds in store for the channel. Sending lots of love! ☺
I read Piranesi earlier this year and am still thinking about it, and I just finished Jonathan Strange & Mr. Norrell and was awed by it in every way. Reading Sir Gawain and the Green Knight and having the discussion with you then watching and discussing the film adaptation really increased its impact on me: the kind of immersive experience where reading, watching, and discussing enriched every aspect of the book and the film. So thank you! Her Body and Other Parties is a short story collection by Carmen Maria Machado that surprised me in so many ways, but especially with the cathartic reading experience it gave me (similar to Piranesi actually!). Assassin's Apprentice by Robin Hobb was incredibly cathartic as well; combined with Hobb's beautiful prose, I was doomed to fall in love with it.
Hello, Evie! It was so much fun to discuss Sir Gawain and the Green Knight with you as well as The Green Knight, and later Dune. I am more grateful for those discussions than I can say, and I thank you for enriching my experience on BookTube this year. I hope we'll have many more opportunities to chat!
Such a wonderful list, I'm glad to see some of my favorites here, too! Also, I haven't fully reread Malazan Book of the Fallen yet, do you think I should reread House of Chains first before reading The God is Not Willing?
Thanks, Petrik! I think it would be helpful for you to reread House of Chains, especially the first part (on Karsa), but not entirely necessary as long as you recall the major events. My very best to you, my friend, for a highly fulfilling year of reading ahead!
I like how you kept the list concise... Less than 10 books even! Only the deserving make a spot. I just finished the Wisdom of Crowds and your chat with Mike was such a necessary wind down after that ending, so thanks for that. All the best for a big 2022! Looking forward to seeing where your reading journey takes you.
I’m glad the chat with Mike on The Wisdom of Crowds was helpful, Danny. I think we all needed a little therapy after that one. As for 2022, I wish you the very best for your reading, your health, and your family!
No surprise - a great list (everything was already on my TBR besides Piranesi, which is now!) Glad you included Wizard and Glass as well, even if you aren't done yet. It was my favorite of the Dark Tower books. On to 2022 - looking forward to your future videos!
Thank you! I’m still loving Wizard and Glass, which is waiting for me as soon as I finish replying to you. I hope you’ll enjoy Piranesi and the others, and my very best to you for 2022!
Thank you for all your content! Discovering channels such as yours is a big reason why I resparked my interest in reading over the past year. My friends irl don’t read so having RUclips channels, discords, etc has made reading much more of a group activity for me which is certainly helpful these days. I read a ton of content over various mediums this year but to single out a few: Blame! (Manga) - Tsutomu Nihei - You like show don’t tell? Well you’ll LOVE don’t show don’t tell. It’s pretty short on character and plot but I’ve never been more immersed in a work’s atmosphere/setting. Berserk (manga) - Kentaro Miura - A really cool combination of fantasy and cosmic horror. Stunning visuals throughout and excellent character arcs. Drags on for a bit past the halfway point but the “dream sequence” near the end might be the most moved I’ve ever been by visual storytelling. Malazan - Erikson- don’t really need to elaborate here. It’s pretty crazy how there’s a near universal experience of being somewhat lukewarm on GOTM before buying in to the series. The writing doesn’t really change but we do as readers. The Thrawn Trilogy - Timothy Zahn - had to include something Star Wars and this stands out amongst the rest. Probably one of the smoothest reads I’ve ever had
Very cool highlights, Mitch! It is fantastic to be part of a reading community since we enrich each other’s understanding of the stories we love. My deepest thanks to you for your participation in the channel, and my best to you for 2022!
Just finished Piranesi, amazing. "Shadows of God" and "The God is not wikking" will be published in January here in Italy and I will read 'em immidiately.
Glad to hear you loved Piranesi too. My best to you for both The Shadow of the Gods and The God Is Not Willing, and for an amazing year of reading ahead!
Wisdom of Crowds and Shadow of the Gods were also among my top reads of the year! I’ll be starting Janny Wurtz War of Light and Shadow in 2022, so looking forward to you and AP covering it.
I'm really excited for the Wars of Light and Shadow and hoping to find a new author to join my favorites in Janny Wurts. It will be great to hear your thoughts on the series too, Scot! Cheers!
Some fantastic reads on this list, and Wizard deserves to be there. I will eat my hat if Autumn War and Price of Spring aren't on your 2022 list. Calling it now. 😛
I’m tempted to be mischievous and leave them out just to see how your hat goes down. 😁 However, it would be much more satisfying, believe it or not, to admit that you’ve been right all along about LPQ. You deserve credit for being right thus far. Can’t wait to see how good Betrayal in Winter is! Thanks, my friend, for that and everything else this year. How do you like the placement of the nameplate? 😁
@@PhilipChaseTheBestofFantasy hahahaah it's PERFECT! I forgot you had that little table in your vids which makes placing it super easy AND makes you look even more legit! 😃😃
Great selection, Dr. Fantasy! I keep on hearing Malazan from you and I'm convinced to pick it up later. But first, the book sets and series on my TBR that I bought this year, including Shadow of the Gods, which you've also been recommending.
Wow. What a phenomenal list. I'm excited to see Piranesi on your list. I bought it meaning to read it immediately but put it off. I have added Stoneweilder to my TBR. Thanks for the list!!! Buona festa and Happy New Year!!!
I hope you’ll love Piranesi when you read it. I remember it with much fondness and a sense of wonder with a touch of melancholy. My very best to you for an awesome year of reading in 2022!
This was probably my biggest year reading books. Started and finished for The Dark Tower got caught up on a handful of series and because of you I'm three and a half books into Malazan! Can't wait to see where 2022 takes me.
That’s so awesome, Joseph! I’m hoping the best for you and your Malazan journey, and, of course, my best wishes to you for much fulfillment in your writing and in life for 2022!
Great list! I'm planning on reading John Gwynne's Faithful and the Fallen in the new year. I started a library job this year so I've had a lot more opportunity to read and Ive finally got round to many classics (Lord of the Rings, 1984, Brave New World, The Handmaids Tale). I've also really enjoyed Robin Hobb's Farseer trilogy and Black Sun by Rebecca Roanhorse. Keep up the good work Philip. Happy New year!
Those are some excellent reads, Milly! I often wished to work at a library myself. I love libraries and feel so at home surrounded by books. I wish you much fulfillment there and in your reading!
Great vid! I bought Piranesi on sale for my kindle. I'll move it up on my TBR. My favs for this year has been the Cradle series by Will Wight, I read books 4-6 of First Law (the stand alones) and loved them all. I'm on book 2 of Age of Madness and the greatness continues. Also Senlin Ascends finished this year and book 3 was awesome. I'm reading the final one now. TGINW will be my first read of 2022. I want to take my time and enjoy it since SE is also my all time fav author.
I'm guessing that you will enjoy The God Is Not Willing immensely, Tricia. Erikson is my favorite author too, and I think he's in peak form. I hope you'll like Piranesi, and I could not agree more about First Law. First rate!
Hi Philip. Congratulations on 11k subscribers! 👍 My favorite reads of the year have been : The God is not willing Player of Games Berserk Use of Weapons Take care Philip and I look forward to all the discussions to come in the new year.
Thank you, Seth! The God Is Not Willing is truly wonderful in the best Malazan way. My deepest thanks for your participation on the channel and for every one of your comments this past year. My best to you for the coming one!
Pretty much all of these are on my list to read. I enjoyed The Wisdom of Crowds, but I personally thought The Trouble with Peace was the perfect book. Glad you had a great reading year!
Awesome nameplate! I haven't read any of these, but they seem interesting! I'm currently on Reaper's gale and I will begin Wrath at some point this winter, so I'm working on Malazan and Gwynme books. My favorites of 2021 were probably Hyperion, Dark Matter, Project Hail Mary, Midnight Tides or Ruin
Nice list, it’s always great to get more books to add to ones TBR pile! I mostly read through The Dresden Files and Wheel of time this year, my favorite from those series is probably Ghost Story (Dresden) and Knife of Dreams (WoT)
Thank you for the John Gwynne insight, Philip. It's very rewarding as a viewer to get an analysis of Gwynne's writing style in Of Blood and Bone over his Faithful and Fallen series. All of which had bypassed me. A Time of Courage was my favourite book of the year though. Your glowing praise of Joe Abercrombie's series (read the first, just haven't gotten to the rest of the series) needs to be bumped up my TBR, along with Mark Lawrence and the perpetual Dark Tower books which seems to be a series I never quite get to. Best wishes for the coming new year.
My guess is you’ll enjoy Abercrombie and Lawrence’s books, especially if you like Gwynne’s. Abercrombie and Lawrence are both fantastic in their own ways, but they’re also two writers with great psychological insights and quite a sense of humor. My very best to you for your reading, Mark!
@@PhilipChaseTheBestofFantasy I don’t often comment and I can see why as I totally referenced the wrong book and series!! I meant Shadow of The Gods as my favourite book and was referring to your analysis of Faithful and Fallen versus the Bloodsworn. Off to give myself a good talking too!
Thanks to you and Mike for introducing me to John Gwynne. Love his writing, drawing close to Erikson for favorite modern fantasy author. And I'm going to get both Bloodsworn books in May. I read some of the early ICE books and struggled with them. I felt the plot and characters somewhat thin. That may have been me comparing him too much with Erikson. But I've heard more than one person say he's improved considerably since the early books. So I may give him another go.
Books 3 and 4 of Novels of the Malazan Empire are on another level from the earlier two, though Night of Knives is actually a great book, I think. I’m so glad to hear you’re loving Gwynne’s books! My very best to you for your reading in 2022, Shawn!
So, Doctor Fantasy has mutated into Doctor Question Mark? Well, at least it bespeaks a scientific mind... A great collection of titles! I hope to read some of them in 2022. Looking forward to accompany you on your journey through the endless realm of Fantasy!
Hello, Johan! Dr. Fantasy is always mutating. It's called evolution! How do you think I stay ahead of Professor Fireballs? In all seriousness, my deepest thanks to you for your participation on the channel and for your kindness, and my best to you for the year to come!
The Wisdom of Crowds is brilliant! I don’t think Abercrombie can miss for me, and I know he’s one of your favorites too, if not your favorite. Happy reading for 2022, Klaus!
Great list Philip! All of these are on my list except maybe Wheel of Osheim, because I DNFd Prince of Thorns, so if it’s in the same world I’m not sure it will be for me. I can’t wait to watch your review of Wizard & Glass.
What a great list! You have influenced my reading very heavily this year and am so grateful for your videos. I started The Book of the Fallen at the end of July and I am currently halfway through Reaper's Gale, it has truly been an amazing journey so far! I also read the first volume of the Bauchelain and Korbal Broach novellas and they were a really fun palette cleanser that I wove in-between the big books. I was able to dip my toes in to the ICE novels by reading Night of Knives and I have already picked up Return of the Crimson Guard. The two most anticipated series I have queued up for next year are the First Law Trilogy and The Faithful and the Fallen. Please keep the recommendations coming this has been a great year for reading!
I’m so glad that Malazan has been working for you! My very best wishes to you for First Law and The Faithful and the Fallen, and also for the rest of your reads in 2022!
@@PhilipChaseTheBestofFantasy tyvm :) I aim to read the complete WoT series, so I'm excited for that. And if things go well this year, maybe I move on to Malazan in a year or two. ^_^
Great list there Philip! I also read The Shadow of the Gods. It was fantastic and I couldn't put it down! Also, being from Norway I recognized a lot of elements from Norse Mythology and the Viking age which was really fun and interesting to discover. This was the first book I read by John Gwynne, and I will be reading The Faithful and the Fallen this year which I got for christmas. I read Stonewielder back when it was released and absolutely love Esslemonts works in the Malazan world. I think every one of his books add to the majesty and mystery of that world. I will dare to say that you'll enjoy Blood and Bone and Assail which comes after Orb Sceptre Throne. I have not read the Path to Ascendancy trilogy yet but I'm looking forward to them when I eventually get to them in my TBR also. And to continue on that note I'm probably going to put The God Is Not Willing on this years TBR. Everything Steven Erikson publishes turns to gold. Some day I'll do a re-read of everything in the Malazan world to refresh my memories and enjoyment of the series, as well as pick up on new things I missed the first time. I'll add to the other commenters here and say that your Dr. Fantasy plaque is cool and on point! My best reads for 2021 was: The Shadow of the Gods (John Gwynne) Eisenhorn: Xenos (Dan Abnett) Halo: Shadows of Reach (Troy Denning) One Day in the Life of Ivan Denisovich (Aleksandr Solzhenitsyn) The Man in the High Castle (Philip K. Dick) Tiamat's Wrath (James S.A. Corey) I didn't read as much as I had wanted this year, but I'm quite happy about what I did read and am looking forward to this year's bookish adventures!
Thank you, Spartanus! It sounds like you had a great year of reading. There are some minor Norse elements in The Faithful and the Fallen, which has a largely Celtic flavor with some prominent Roman elements. I hope you’ll enjoy it. Since you’ve enjoyed all else Malazan, I’m confident you’ll love The God Is Not Willing and Paths to Ascendancy. My very best wishes to you for a fulfilling year of reading in 2022!
Very nice list Philip, many of which are on my TBR. You might have finally convinced me to read the Dark Tower 😏. One small gem I found this year was The Terror by Giles Kristian; it is a wonderful novella. Cheers.
I had not heard of The Terror, so thank you for the recommendation, Francois! If you try Dark Tower, I hope you'll love it. Also, my deepest thanks to you for your participation on the channel and your kindness.
Wizard & Glass is amazing. I love it so much, glad you are enjoying it 😁 While I enjoyed some parts of Piranesi, I was very disappointed at the end because I felt that a lot of things were never explained. LOL at the new nameplate 😅🤣
Thank you, Crystal! I’m most definitely loving Wizard and Glass. The nameplate is from Allen at the Library of Allenxandria. I couldn’t resist including it. My very best to you for 2022!
I don't know if it technically counts as Fantasy, but I just finished David Vann's retelling of the Medea myth, 'Bright Air Black', and was absolutely blown away. I'd be fascinated by your take on it, particularly as -alongside Medea - one of Vann's top four texts of all time is Beowulf, so you share literary tastes.
Love the nameplate, Dr. Fantasy, nemesis of Professor Fireballs! :) Great video, Philip! Thank you for sharing this with us! Even though I hardly read anything for the past months, my favorite reads for this year were: Steven Erikson - Rejoyce, A Knife to the Heart Steven Erikson - This River Awakens Steven Erikson - the Willful Child trilogy Steven Erikson - The God is not Willing Piranesi
Excellent reads, Rox! After I finish all of the Malazan books, I’d like to read all of Erikson’s other published books. It sounds like you accomplished that this year. Thanks so much for your warmth, kindness, and support - it all means the world to me. And my very best wishes to you for 2022!
This ended up having a lot of the same books I love this year. I'm glad you were able to find so much amazing new stuff while also rereading all the Malazan stuff. You know it is a good reading year, when even without the main aspect of it, it still has a ton of great stuff
I always knew you were a gentleman of excellent taste, Jake! It’s cool that we’ve enjoyed some of the same reads in 2021. Perhaps it’s because I’m one quarter Canadian. Perhaps it’s just because we’re both clever chaps. Anyway, I wish you the very best for the year ahead! Oh, and the nameplate is from that Allen fellow over at The Library of Allenxandria. 😄
I wasn't a big fan of the first trilogy set in the Broken Empire world but I've decided to give the second one a try this year. Hopefully I'll enjoy this one more! Happy New Year Philip, thanks for all the amazing content you've put out this year!
I hope you’ll enjoy Red Queen’s War. Jalan and Snorri are two of my favorite fantasy characters, and I can’t count the number of times they made me laugh - and cry a few times too. My best to you for your reading!
Some of my faves from this year are AL of First Law (especially Best Served Cold and Wisdom of Crowds), Project Hail Mary, and probably my favorite series of all, which I hope you'll read soon if you haven't, is The Books of Babel by Josiah Bancroft
I recently bought the first three of the books in the Books of Babel series and am eager to read them. The next time I buy a batch of books, the fourth will be among them. I’ll likely start in March or April, I hope. Also, you can’t go wrong with First Law, in my humble opinion. My best to you for your reading in 2022!
Wouldn't it be nice to have an other "trilogy of standalones" and then a new trilogy from Abercrombie? A Wisdom Of Crowds was also one of my favourite new books this year. (And talking about trilogies: a new trilogy by Lawrence set in the Red Queen's War world would be nice as well, i think.) My other two favourites this year were The God is not Willing and The Fall of Babel. Also loved Piranesi and the Dark Tower series, which was the first fantasy series that i read several times. Best wishes for 2022 for you and your loved ones and happy reading! 🥂
I completely agree with you about all those prospective trilogies! I’ll be reading The Books of Babel soon, I hope. My very best to you for your reading in the New Year!
Amazing video, and the thumbnail, as everyone is saying, looks great. I was wondering if you could give me more recommendations on essays related to fantasy, like From Elfland to Poughkeepsie.
Thanks, Guido! I actually hired my younger daughter to make thumbnails for me. Ha ha! To answer your question, Tolkien's essay "On Fairy Stories" is another classic, of course. Stephen Donaldson's "Epic Fantasy in the Modern World" is another one, and I believe he's written several such essays. Also, I know that Steven Erikson often posts fantasy related essays on his Facebook. Those are the ones that spring to mind.
I happen to own a book, called 'Fantasists on Fantasy, A Collection of Critical Reflections', edited by Robert H. Boyer and Kenneth J. Zahorski. It was published by Avon Books in 1985... Eighteen practitioners of the genre, from George MacDonald through Lovecraft and Tolkien, to LeGuin, Kurtz and Moorcock, shine a light on the genre and their practice. I checked - there are copies on eBay. Recommended!
Happy New Year, Philip! What a joy it was to watch this. I needed to get out of my 2021 funk so I knew I had to come to your channel to re-invigorate my reading life..! Once again you have given me that nudge to try some books that have been on my radar, particularly Piranesi and Mark Lawrence. My Malazan journey is long and slow, I have yet to finish the first book. But WHAT is it about that world? It's sticking to my consciousness like a mysterious residue... so I'm not giving up yet... LOL! Cheers.
It’s wonderful to hear from you, Sun! I would love to hear your thoughts on Piranesi if you read it. Susanna Clarke is an incredibly talented writer. Among Mark Lawrence’s books, I hope to read Book of the Ancestor, the trilogy about assassin nuns, this year. As for Malazan, it can feel like a big mountain to climb, but the view from the top is indescribable. If you decide to make any videos on any of your reads, I’ll be keen to watch. My very best wishes to you and your loved ones for 2022!
Dr Philip. Really appreciate you giving praise to ICE. I am currently reading Stonewielder and it’s absolutely fantastic. Have really enjoyed the novels of the Malazan empire outside of the main 10 books. Thanks for spreading the word.
Great list! I also enjoyed The Wisdom of Crowds. Absolutely bonkers, in a good way. I can’t wait to finally start Malazan next month, I already have books 1-5. Also gonna read Of Blood and Bone by John Gwynne, I loved The Faithful and The Fallen, he has yet to miss!
I love that Wizard & Glass made number one! The dark tower as a series deserves more love, it’s bizarre like you said, but that’s what makes it’s so good!
i quite liked piranesi as well even though it hasnt made favourite of the year for me, making my way through first law, i hope to get to wisdom of crowds in 2022 :-D great selection Dr fantasy :-)
Thanks, Larry! I hope you'll enjoy First Law. It has some of the best character work, humor, and action in the genre, in my humble opinion. My very best to you for 2022!
Great list! A lot of those are on my ever growing tbr. I think my top books for 2021 would have to be A Storm of Swords, A Little Life, Dune, and Never Let Me Go. A Storm of Swords was so worth getting to, I admit I struggled through the first two books a bit but wow I loved ASOS. It was so fast paced and interesting! A Little Life and Never Let Me Go aren't fantasy so they were outside of my usual genre, but I thought they were both just amazing works of literature. I think both of them will stick with me for a long time. And obviously Dune, a fantastic work of science fiction. I'm super excited to read more fantasy in 2022, I have a great list lined up. My current read is The Way of Kings by Brandon Sanderson but I doubt I'll finish it before the new year.
Those are fantastic reads, Clara! I’ve read each book in ASOIAF at least twice, and I agree that A Storm of Swords is amazing. Dune was a wonderful reread for me this year, and I enjoyed the film as well. It’s been a few years since I read The Way of Kings, but I recall liking it very much. Best wishes with it and with all your reads in the coming year!
Great books to have as as standouts for the year. Piranesi is among my favorites as well. Some of my other favorites for 2021 were The Paper Managerie and Other Stories by Ken Liu The Green Bone Saga (the whole trilogy) by Fonda Lee The Ten Thousand Doors of January by Alix E Harrow The Once and Future Witches by Alix E Harrow Black Sun by Rebecca Roanhorse The Fox by Sherwood Smith The Inheritance Of Orquidea Divina by Zoraida Cordova
Great list, i have to get back to Erikson this year. Gwynne, can't say enough about him, wonderful. Abercrombie, have to read that one, it's the only one I have left. Ok, I haven't been on for a couple of weeks, love the Dr. Fantasy nameplate.
I’ve put John Gwynne on my list too but have opted for a time of courage. I feel like Bloodsworn will grow on me as the trilogy goes on and my attachment to the characters grows
Thanks for another insightful video, I’m a huge fan of the channel. Would you consider making content of the epics of Paradise Lost and the Divine Comedy? I recently bought copies of both and would love to hear your thoughts on them. Wishing u and urs a great new year 🎉
Thanks so much! I’ll probably branch out into more classics at some point. I teach Paradise Lost every semester, so it would be fun, and Divine Comedy is obviously a big one too. A very happy New Year to you as well!
Amazing list Philip! Hard to believe I’ve been a fan for so long now, great to see your channel doing so well. I’m just curious, when do you intend to read the 3rd Robin Hobb trilogy “Tawny Man”?
Thanks, Cap! A.P. and I will start at the beginning of Realm of the Elderlings at some point early in the year. Since we’re not reading straight through, I expect Tawny Man to happen mid year at the earliest, and it could be late in the year. My very best to you for your reading and all else in 2022!
So glad to see this. I had to take a fantasy hiatus after finishing TBotF and NotME. I went on a horror kick and just finished The Stand last night. Ready to start this year off with some fantasy adventure!
@@PhilipChaseTheBestofFantasy I'm torn between starting either John Gwynne or Joe Abercrombie tonight. I've never read either. As a big time Malazan fan, which would you suggest?
@@zadig08 Abercrombie is a top five author for me. Like Erikson, but with a very different style, he subverts tropes, and his writing is bold and vivid. Some of the best character work in the genre, and fantastic but grim humor. His First Law series gets better with almost every book, and I loved the original trilogy. So, he gets the highest recommendation from me. Gwynne’s books are a delightful mix of classical and modern fantasy. They have a lot of heart, and while they certainly have themes like found family, courage, and love, they are more conducive to an entertaining read than a deep think in general. You can’t go wrong with either, in my opinion!
@@PhilipChaseTheBestofFantasy Thank you so much! This is exactly what I needed to hear. Joe Abercrombie starts tonight. I've just been so scared that he'll take a emotional toll on me like Erikson & Esslemont did, but Gwynne might be the perfect rebound. Sounds like the next few months are all locked up!
As you probably know now, he doesn’t mess up in the second half of Wizard and Glass, I hope you feel the same anyway. Roland is such a top notch character. I mourn for The Dark Tower already. I just finished last month. Going on to watch the review next!
My favorite reading during 2021. I'll list them in the order in which they were read. An R next to a title denotes a re-read. ---Invisible Man by Ralph Ellison ---The Big Sea: An Autobiography by Langston Hughes ---This Is How You Lose the Time War by Amal El-Mohtar & Max Gladstone ---Teatro Grottesco by Thomas Ligotti ---Walt Whitman: A Life by Justin Kaplan ---Dune by Frank Herbert (R) ---What I Talk About When I Talk About Running by Haruki Murakami ---The Last House on Needless Street by Catriona Ward ---The Green Mile by Stephen King ---The Blade Itself by Joe Abercrombie ---The Prisoner of Heaven by Carlos Ruiz Zafon ---Night of the Mannequins by Stephen Graham Jones ---(Short Story) "Pale Horse, Pale Rider" by Katherine Anne Porter.
That’s an absolutely fantastic list, Curt! The places you’ve been in all those books and the people you’ve met - every book a journey. I wish you the very best for your reading in 2022 with many new journeys to come!
Just finished Dark Tower 7 (and currently reading the midquel, The Wind Through the Keyhole). I'm very curious to see your take on the latter few books of the series, I think there's a lot to talk about whenever you get to it.
First Law is definitely at the top of my 2021 list. I'm very intrigued by Piranesi! I was slightly disappointed with Wizard and Glass on first read (I did like it), but I think I'd really love it on a reread. It had some of his best scenes in the whole series.
I've not read any Lawrence yet, maybe I should do that at some point? I did have a lot of issues with Shadow of the Gods and am not sure if I'll actually pick up the follow-up. Piranesi was one of the most impressive things I've read this year and it appealed way more to me than Strange & Norrell which had some stretches I didn't appreciate. Nothing to be added to Esslemont, I'm about to wrap up my reread of Assail and I love all his novels. I still have to read the Age of Madness trilogy but after me not really liking the first trilogy that much and him certainly improving a lot in the stand-alone novels I am hopeful this trilogy will appeal more to me. The God Is Not Willing is obviously another favourite of mine but since I finally got around to reading the Kharkanas books for the first time it's not my favourite Erikson read of 2021.I gave up on the Dark Tower after book 3 the first time so I can't even comment on Wizard & Glass. I did a lot of rereading this year so not many new books to put into a best reads list but the new Neal Stephenson and Alastair Reynolds would be in there, also both "By Force Alone" and "The Hood" by Lavie Tidhar which I'd really love to hear your thoughts on since they are a thorough deconstruction of two of the formative british mythologies and probably some of the most innovative fantasy books in a long time.
Hello, Raf! I would be very curious to hear your take on Mark Lawrence's books. He's one of the smartest writers in the fantasy genre, in my opinion. The Broken Empire and Red Queen's War trilogies do some very unexpected things too. Thank you for the recommendations as well, and my very best to you for the year ahead!
@@PhilipChaseTheBestofFantasy Thank you! Maybe we can even have a chat about some books next year? I just looked at Broken Empire and was surprised by how short Prince of Thorns is, I might be able to slip them in between longer reads then.
Am also curious on your reaction to Jorg. Mixed reaction on Karkanas, especially about 300 pages of Fall. They Malazan but not like the Fallen. Need to get to God is Not Willing soon... and oddly enough got Cryptonomicon and Anathem for XMas. Only read Snow Crash which was just silly fun.
I completely agree with you about Esslemont’s ability to write atmosphere. He’s extremely underrated in that respect. And honestly just underrated in general, especially in the Malazan community. I love how he wrote about the Stormguard in Stonewielder. Esslemont somehow manages to up the creepy atmosphere even more in Blood and Bone. I didn’t care for some of the characters in that novel, but the man can really write about the jungle.
I completely agree with you, and it’s a shame that even within the Malazan readership there is some dismissal, much of it rote, of Esslemont’s wonderful contributions to the Malazan world and fantasy.
@@PhilipChaseTheBestofFantasy I imagine it’s because there’s a jarring change of style from Erikson to Esslemont, but it’s unfortunate how many readers gave up on Esslemont early on. I also loved The God is Not Willing. It made me realize how much I missed all the Malazan marine banter.
Hello Philip. There are some excellent books here. I was especially happy to see the additional book Wizard and glass even though you have not yet finished it. Fear not, I'm sure it will still be on your list after you're done. I loved Wizard and glass, it was my favourite of the series and then Wolves of Calla blew me away with the connections to a certain other Stephen King book which happens to be one of my all time favourite books from him. Therefore Wolves of Calla is my favourite now. I am still wading through The Dark Tower the last book and struggling to a; Find time to read and b; I feel like certain occurrences in this the last book have taken me out of the story. I know the last book is devicive however I will finish it by New Year. My favourite books of the year and now 2 of my favourite books of all time were; Dune by Frank Herbert and Dracula by Bram Stoker. My favourite series of the year was The Faithful and the Fallen by John Gwynne and my favourite non 'fantasy' book was Lean, fall, stand by Jon McGregor. I'm looking forward to your review of Wizard and glass later this week. Thank you for all your wonderful videos this year Philip. You are very much appreciated.
Thanks so much, Tracey! Dune was a standout for me too, though it was technically a reread for me and so not on this list. I’m curious to see what happens in Dark Tower. And hooray for The Faithful and the Fallen! My deepest gratitude to you for your participation in the channel and your many wonderful comments. I am more grateful than I can say!
@@PhilipChaseTheBestofFantasy My comments on here tend to get away from me. I don't think I've ever managed to write less than half a book of words. 🤓 It's like I'm chatting to a friend Philip so thank you for letting me ramble on.
Also funnily enough both of my favourites are classics which is my preferred genre so I shouldn't have been surprised there. Another also, I have had numerous 5* if you will books rather a lot actually however a 5* classic for me is a country mile away from a 5* fantasy book even though some people might assume they're the same.
@@yorkshirelasstracey5383 The classics are definitely revered for good reasons. I teach a course called English Classics, and I never tire of discussing those readings from the medieval and Renaissance periods.
I'm assuming I can read The Shadow of the Gods without having read any other John Gwynne books. Is that correct? I do want to read his other books, but the idea of not being behind in yet another series is appealing. :) I enjoyed your list of 2021 favorites. I'm a big fan of Mark Lawrence's Book of the Ancestor trilogy, but I've been a bit intimidated by Broken Empire. I need to just dive in and get going, because I do definitely want to read Red Queen's War. Piranesi has been on my shelf for awhile. I hope to read it in 2022.
Absolutely, yes - you can read The Shadow of the Gods without having read anything else by Gwynne. I’m looking forward to reading Book of the Ancestor in 2022. I hope you’ll enjoy Piranesi when you get to it. I wish you much fulfillment in your reads in the coming year!
Here's some of my top reads of 2021 Cinderella is dead From blood and ash Lore Legendborn The dating plan Everything after Wizard and glass by Stephen king The wastelands by Stephen king A little hatred Best served cold The prison healer The gilded ones The trouble with peace The comeback by ella berman definitely a great read Crescent city
Wizard and Glass is, by far, the best you get from The Dark Tower. Jae Lee beautifully illustrated the graphic novel covering the same time frame in the series. I am interested in reading the short novels and the second trilogy from Abercrombie, but I really didn't like The First Law trilogy. I read it a long time ago... am I going to be lost going into the newer stuff? I was a little concerned with SE coming off of the Kharkanas "Trilogy", but he really killed it with The God is Not Willing. Looking forward to what comes next.
I think you’d be okay to go ahead with the standalones and The Age of Madness without rereading The First Law Trilogy, though you might want to read a summary just to jar the memory a bit. I think The God Is Not Willing could be a very approachable introduction to Erikson’s Malazan books and what he can do in his writing. Cheers!
Hi PC. Good Top list. My 2021 Top list. 1. Rise of the Silvan by R.K. Lander 2. The Blood of the Spear by Mark Timmony 3. Of Blood And Fire by Ryan Cahill 4. Dragontiarna books 8-10 by Jonathan Moeller 5. Memories of Prophecies by Davis Ashura 6. The Tiger’s Imperium by Marc Alan Edelheit 7. A Clash of Fates by Philip C. Quaintrell 8. The Song of the First Blade by T.C. Edge 9. Bloodline/ Reaper by Will Wight 10. Wraithblade by S. M. Boyce 11. The Shadow of the Gods by JG
My own favourites of this year would be: 1. The Gap Cycle 2. Malazan 9 & 10 3. Prince of Nothing 4. Hyperion 5. 'Salem's Lot I would urge you to read 'Salem's Lot both because it is an amazing horror book (King's ruthless version of Dracula) and because its story continues in Wolves of Cala and the next Dark Tower books.
Honestly, its own prologue 'spoils' it in a way but it is all about King's masterful ability to create this small world of a town in which the reader knows disaster will strike. Also looking forward to your review of Wizard and Glass which was one of the best Dark Tower books for me.
Piranesi was a great and interesting read. One of the things I liked best was the storyline. It seems to me that a lot of fantasy is cookie cutter. Sagas of people traveling on a quest. Using magical powers to change the world or conquer the world. Young magicians growing up and developing their powers. Piranesi is none of these. In my reading, it is a unique (and I mean that one of a kind) storyline. Short and easy read. The author created a true fantasy.
Philip going hard with the thumbnails finally hahaha. Jokes aside - its pretty good! Thanks for the video, and happy holidays again Philip!
Ha ha! I actually hired my younger daughter to make thumbnails for me. My very best to you, Chirag, for the year to come!
Coming full circle here as the first Philip Chase video that I watched was your round up for 2020. Only I didn't watch it when it came out but at the end of March this year when the YT algorithm decided that this should interest me. Watching it is doubtlessly on my list of excellent desicions for this year.😁
Piranesi is definitely on my list as well. It's world is so unique and tranquil that I wish it was a real place where I could go to marvel at the statues, maybe go for a swim in the indoor ocean or just sit and dangle my feet in the water while I watch the birds. And thanks to your enthusiasm I'm reading Dark Tower, just finishing The Drawing of the Three.
But the biggest gift from this channel was Erikson and the Malazan World. Yes, we got off to a rocky start, but after all I was promised a transformative read, so I can hardly complain now, just because transformation can be a challenging process. Therefore my most surprising read of 2021 was The God is Not Willing. I was so convinced that I would not like it and that reading it at best would be a chore, that the amount of connection, emotional engagement and overall wonderful reading experience I got out of it completely baffled me.
Love the name plate😍. And congratulation to 11,000 subscribers!
Thank you so much! For the first time ever, I am blessing the almighty and mysterious RUclips algorithm for bringing you to my channel! It has been a wonderful time interacting with you in the comments, and I'm so happy that you've gained something from Malazan and your other reads this past year. We are truly fortunate to be part of a group of people who love books and talking about books. There's so much to learn from each other. My very best to you for 2022!
@@PhilipChaseTheBestofFantasy Indeed the YT Gods have been good to us! Finding people who not just love books, but love and enjoy the same books is precious and I'm glad and honored to be part of this particular group of book friends.
May 2022 be a wonderful year for you!
I love the way you describe Piranesi. That along with Wisdom of Crowds will be in my best of the year list too!
Thank you, Brittany! Piranesi still feels like a dream. The Wisdom of Crowds still makes me feel all the excitement and sorrow. It’s so cool how great stories stick with us. It was an honor and a pleasure to interact with you on BookTube this year, and my very best to you for 2022!
First of all, I LOVE the Dr. Fantasy nameplate! So awesome.
I didn't get as much reading done in 2021 as I have in previous years. I think working from home and stress over the pandemic exacerbated my ADD and I just had trouble focusing on books this year. But of what I did read my favorites included (one non-fantasy):
The Anubis Gates by Tim Powers
The Broken Sword by Poul Anderson
Les Miserables by Victor Hugo, translated by Julie Rose
Piranesi by Susanna Clarke (hands down my favorite read of the year)
I did re-read of a couple of my all time favorites this year - these are my comfort food books and they helped me get through a crazy year:
Prince of Nothing trilogy by R. Scott Bakker
Radiance by Catherynne M. Valente
Those are some great reads, and I'm glad to hear you enjoyed Piranesi so much, Jason! I wish you a much less stressful 2022 with some more wonderful books. Cheers!
Love the nameplate 🤣 This was a fantastic list, Philip! So glad to see Wizard and Glass here and I can’t wait to talk about the series with you again!
I very much hope to get our ka-tet together again, Sarah! My very best to you in the year ahead - I’m so grateful for your presence on BookTube!
NEMESIS!!!!!!! 😂😂😂😂
I just wish you two would do a discussion of the Expanse and call it Nemesis Games...
Looking at Prof Fireballs and Dr Fantasy I get the impression that nemesis is a term of appreciation and endearment.😁😂
And I'm sure you know the answer to this video: A.P.'s top concepts of literary analysis in 2021.😁
Hope you had a great Christmas and wishing you a wonderful new year!
2021 was the year of the Nemesis! What will 2022 bring?
I’m so grateful to this community as well! Shadow of the Gods and Piranesi are books I want to read in 2022. (Well, to be honest any book with a dragon on the cover makes me want to read it, haha.) Seeing both on your list makes me even more eager to get to them.
I adore Piranesi, and what self-respecting fantasy fan wouldn't be tempted by a gigantic dragon? My very best to you for your upcoming reads!
LOL @ the nameplate.
John Gwynne is automatic for me no matter what he writes going forward.
Joe never seems to disappoint. Looking forward to trying some of his non-First law works this summer.
So happy you enjoyed Wizard & Glass. I figured you would. Seems to be divisive among more recent readers.
Wizard and Glass is a stunningly beautiful book. Before, I felt awe for Roland, who was already one of the most iconic characters in literature for me. Now, I love him, and the series has taken on so much more pathos because of Wizard and Glass. Let’s see what the Path of the Beam brings next!
What you said about the importance of fantasy literature when it comes to imagination as part of what it means to be human really resonated with me. And as an academic in training (about to start my PhD in Literature) I share the hope that in the future, writers of fantasy fiction will be given the attention the quality of their work warrants.
Great videos as always, and thank you for convincing me to move up Esslemont on the TBR by quite a few spots :)
My very best wishes to you, TJ, for your graduate work! The more of us in academia who recognize the potential of fantasy to speak to the human condition, the better (in my humble opinion). I hope you'll enjoy Esslemont's books!
@@PhilipChaseTheBestofFantasy Thank you, that is very kind and much appreciated. I remember you and AP and Esslemont himself discussing the fact that Night of Knives is structurally quite unique, so I'm looking forward to experiencing that.
BTW, have you ever read any of Gaiman's Sandman? There's so much great stuff about the hopefulness of being able to pretend and dream in there, which I would argue is reiterated in the fictional and antimimetic character of fantasy narratives. And as a fan of Rake, I think you might appreciate Morpheus as well.
@@TJ_Kefali I love American Gods and The Ocean at the End of the Lane, but I’ve not yet read The Sandman. I fully intend to read it, but your recommendation makes it even more appealing. Thanks!
The Dr. Fantasy plaque in the background!! Thanks for a great video, and it was a great encouragement to continue on in Novels of the Malazan Empire and pick up the Dark Tower. Also I have Shadow of the Gods and The God is Not Willing on the shelf and haven’t had time to get to them but can’t wait. Did you try Project Hail Mary this year? That would be toward the top of my best reads list of 2021 next to The Wisdom of Crowds and the Bonehunters, and is an absolute delight of a story. Also books 2 and 4 of Shadows of the Apt would be in my top list, and I think you would definitely love those books, too!
I haven't tried Project Hail Mary yet, Benjamin, so I appreciate the recommendation! I hope you'll enjoy Dark Tower, The Shadow of the Gods, The God Is Not Willing, and the rest of the Novels of the Malazan Empire. Those should keep you out of mischief for a little while! Also, my very best to you for the coming year!
happy your reading year was a blast 🥰🥰
Thank you, and my very best to you for the coming year -- I wish you many great reads!
Wonderful Top Reads video, Philip! You have me so excited to get to The God is Not Willing and Wizard & Glass. I’m also looking forward to reading books by Ian Esslemont, Mark Lawrence, and John Gwynne. What a wonderful year of books and collaborations. You’re an inspiring presence in the book community, and we are so lucky to have you on here on BookTube. Great name plate, by the way! 😁
Thank you, Johanna! I'm so grateful to BookTube for introducing me to so many wonderful people like you, and I'm delighted that I'll be starting 2022 with a chat with you! I think that's an auspicious way to start the new year. I just discovered the origins of the nameplate (I wasn't sure when I made the video). It arrived courtesy of a certain friend of ours. I'll give you a hint: this person is a fan of Discworld, The Long Price Quartet, and the Greatcoat series, among other things.
@@PhilipChaseTheBestofFantasy Haha! I’m guessing his name rhymes with “talon.” Chatting with you will be a wonderful way to start the new year! Looking forward to it!
Great to see Wheel Of Osheim made the list! I cannot wait to reread the first 2 First Law books and finally continue with that series, im craving for Abercrombie after watching his interviews, a lot of what he was doing in FL went over my head since i read them way too early in my reading life.
I've only read 6 books this year so this list will be short, but I enjoyed ALL of them!
1) Words Of Radiance by Brandon Sanderson - spectacular book, a ride from the first page.
2) Oathbringer by Brandon Sanderson - Sandersons best character work (Dalinar) and his most layered work I've read so far, my opinion of Sandersons writing has improved drastically after this.
3) Red Sister by Mark Lawrence - a tragic slowburn with one of the most lovable protagonists I've came across in a while. Nona is an absolute treasure and the exploration of self-hatred, coming of age and accepting yourself were executed beautifully.
4) Mort by Terry Pratchett - with only one book Pratchett has soared at the top of my favorite prose writers in the genre. A master of language manipulation and the most quotable and clever author that I've ever read. EVERYONE needs some Terry Pratchett in their life.
5) Warbreaker by Brandon Sanderson - this was a pretty good novel with good characzer work but ultimately as more time has passed it became kind of forgetable. Still had a good time tho.
6) Edgedancer by Brandon Sanderson - a fine novella and it made me care about Lift, but ultimately nothing groundbreaking.
Next year is gonna be me finishing Stormlight Archive, Book Of The Ancestor and Book Of The Ice and hopefully, First Law. So many good books!
Those are some great reads behind you, and you have some awesome ones ahead, I think. My very best to you for all of them! Also, yes, Abercrombie gives a fantastic interview, and I hope you'll enjoy First Law this time around.
What a wonderful video, Philip! I have to say, finding your channel has been one of the great joys of my reading year.
"Piranesi" was one of my favorite books of 2020, what a delight. It's multilayered in terms of interpretation, and it filled me with a sense of awe, discovery, and true mystery. In my review I compared it to my favorite book of all time "The Neverending Story", precisely because of the atmosphere and the sense of dread/wonder it conjures up.
I am only just now getting started with the first First Law book, hugely enjoying it on a second read (I tried to read it earlier in the year and disliked it so much I actually included it in my worst reads of 2021 video...now I have completely changed my mind), so I am incredibly excited to hear you talk so passionately about Wisdom of Crowds.
I have had the Dark Tower series on my shelves for years, but have never plucked up the courage to do it... so your mentioning book 4 makes me hopeful.
Thank you for your thoughtful videos, I hope you have a great 2022!
Juan
Thank you, Juan! I hope First Law will go better for you on the second attempt. As you probably know, not much happens in the first book, but the character work there pays off later. As for Piranesi, it’s simply a gorgeous book, and I agree with you about the wonder it holds. My very best to you for your reading in 2022!
I don't know if this is the first time that nameplate is there or if I totally missed it before, but I absolutely love it!! Anyway, this is a wonderful list of books, I am so happy to hear you found so many new favourites! I am so excited to dive back into the First Law world next year with my reread of the first trilogy and then continuing on to explore the world further in the rest of the books! And to stay in the grimdark trend, I am also very eager to finally check out Mark Lawrence's Broken Empire and Red Queen's War. Also completely agree with you that The Dark Tower is super unique and entertaining, I can't wait to pick up The Wastelands next month!
Some of my favourites of the year are:
- The Empire's Ruin by Brian Staveley
- The Atlas Six by Olivie Blake
- The Mask of Mirrors & The Liar's Knot by M.A. Carrick
- The Paper Menagerie and Other Stories by Ken Liu
- Exhalation by Ted Chiang
- An Autumn War by Daniel Abraham
- A Little Life by Hanya Yanagihara
- Stones of Light by Zack Argyle
- The Last Mortal Bond by Brian Staveley
- The Starless Sea by Erin Morgenstern
- Jade Legacy by Fonda Lee
- Words of Radiance by Brandon Sanderson
- The Huntress by Kate Quinn
As you said, these are all faves because they left an impression and have stuck with me. Thank you for sharing this great list Philip! I hope 2022 will be full of new favourites for you as well ;)
Wonderful list, Esmay! This was the debut for the nameplate, which Allen from The Library of Allenxandria sent me for Christmas. I wish you the best for The Wastelands and all your other reads and for your studies and life in general in 2022!
@@PhilipChaseTheBestofFantasy Thank you so much, I really appreciate it! Best wishes for the new year to you too! I just want to thank you for everything you have done for this community this past year. Your videos and discussions stand out as some of my favourite content to watch on BookTube, I truly appreciate them so much. You never fail to bring across your enthusiasm and love of reading and I find your insights to be so valuable. Seriously, thank you for bringing so much joy into my days with your videos and inspiring me to study English (literature). I am excited to see what next year holds in store for the channel. Sending lots of love! ☺
@@esmayrosalyne Thank you, Esmay - this means more to me than I can express!
Great video!! I loved getting to know your favorites. I'm so glad Wizard & Glass made the list....I predict it stays there.
I predict your prediction is correct, Penny! Thank you so much for watching!
I read Piranesi earlier this year and am still thinking about it, and I just finished Jonathan Strange & Mr. Norrell and was awed by it in every way.
Reading Sir Gawain and the Green Knight and having the discussion with you then watching and discussing the film adaptation really increased its impact on me: the kind of immersive experience where reading, watching, and discussing enriched every aspect of the book and the film. So thank you!
Her Body and Other Parties is a short story collection by Carmen Maria Machado that surprised me in so many ways, but especially with the cathartic reading experience it gave me (similar to Piranesi actually!). Assassin's Apprentice by Robin Hobb was incredibly cathartic as well; combined with Hobb's beautiful prose, I was doomed to fall in love with it.
Hello, Evie! It was so much fun to discuss Sir Gawain and the Green Knight with you as well as The Green Knight, and later Dune. I am more grateful for those discussions than I can say, and I thank you for enriching my experience on BookTube this year. I hope we'll have many more opportunities to chat!
Such a wonderful list, I'm glad to see some of my favorites here, too! Also, I haven't fully reread Malazan Book of the Fallen yet, do you think I should reread House of Chains first before reading The God is Not Willing?
Thanks, Petrik! I think it would be helpful for you to reread House of Chains, especially the first part (on Karsa), but not entirely necessary as long as you recall the major events. My very best to you, my friend, for a highly fulfilling year of reading ahead!
I like how you kept the list concise... Less than 10 books even! Only the deserving make a spot. I just finished the Wisdom of Crowds and your chat with Mike was such a necessary wind down after that ending, so thanks for that. All the best for a big 2022! Looking forward to seeing where your reading journey takes you.
I’m glad the chat with Mike on The Wisdom of Crowds was helpful, Danny. I think we all needed a little therapy after that one. As for 2022, I wish you the very best for your reading, your health, and your family!
I was waiting for this one!! 🤘🏼
I hope you enjoyed it!
No surprise - a great list (everything was already on my TBR besides Piranesi, which is now!) Glad you included Wizard and Glass as well, even if you aren't done yet. It was my favorite of the Dark Tower books. On to 2022 - looking forward to your future videos!
Thank you! I’m still loving Wizard and Glass, which is waiting for me as soon as I finish replying to you. I hope you’ll enjoy Piranesi and the others, and my very best to you for 2022!
Thank you for all your content! Discovering channels such as yours is a big reason why I resparked my interest in reading over the past year. My friends irl don’t read so having RUclips channels, discords, etc has made reading much more of a group activity for me which is certainly helpful these days.
I read a ton of content over various mediums this year but to single out a few:
Blame! (Manga) - Tsutomu Nihei - You like show don’t tell? Well you’ll LOVE don’t show don’t tell. It’s pretty short on character and plot but I’ve never been more immersed in a work’s atmosphere/setting.
Berserk (manga) - Kentaro Miura - A really cool combination of fantasy and cosmic horror. Stunning visuals throughout and excellent character arcs. Drags on for a bit past the halfway point but the “dream sequence” near the end might be the most moved I’ve ever been by visual storytelling.
Malazan - Erikson- don’t really need to elaborate here. It’s pretty crazy how there’s a near universal experience of being somewhat lukewarm on GOTM before buying in to the series. The writing doesn’t really change but we do as readers.
The Thrawn Trilogy - Timothy Zahn - had to include something Star Wars and this stands out amongst the rest. Probably one of the smoothest reads I’ve ever had
Very cool highlights, Mitch! It is fantastic to be part of a reading community since we enrich each other’s understanding of the stories we love. My deepest thanks to you for your participation in the channel, and my best to you for 2022!
Just finished Piranesi, amazing. "Shadows of God" and "The God is not wikking" will be published in January here in Italy and I will read 'em immidiately.
Glad to hear you loved Piranesi too. My best to you for both The Shadow of the Gods and The God Is Not Willing, and for an amazing year of reading ahead!
Wisdom of Crowds and Shadow of the Gods were also among my top reads of the year! I’ll be starting Janny Wurtz War of Light and Shadow in 2022, so looking forward to you and AP covering it.
I'm really excited for the Wars of Light and Shadow and hoping to find a new author to join my favorites in Janny Wurts. It will be great to hear your thoughts on the series too, Scot! Cheers!
Some fantastic reads on this list, and Wizard deserves to be there. I will eat my hat if Autumn War and Price of Spring aren't on your 2022 list. Calling it now. 😛
I’m tempted to be mischievous and leave them out just to see how your hat goes down. 😁 However, it would be much more satisfying, believe it or not, to admit that you’ve been right all along about LPQ. You deserve credit for being right thus far. Can’t wait to see how good Betrayal in Winter is! Thanks, my friend, for that and everything else this year. How do you like the placement of the nameplate? 😁
@@PhilipChaseTheBestofFantasy hahahaah it's PERFECT! I forgot you had that little table in your vids which makes placing it super easy AND makes you look even more legit! 😃😃
@@TheLibraryofAllenxandria Looking legit is half the battle! 😁
Almost done the liars key and about to start the wheel of oshiem!! So excited haha 😁
It’s a brilliant trilogy! I’m excited to read Lawrence’s Book of the Ancestor relatively soon.
Great selection, Dr. Fantasy!
I keep on hearing Malazan from you and I'm convinced to pick it up later. But first, the book sets and series on my TBR that I bought this year, including Shadow of the Gods, which you've also been recommending.
I hope you’ll enjoy The Shadow of the Gods, Camille! Also, I wish you much fulfillment in all your reads for the coming year!
Wow. What a phenomenal list. I'm excited to see Piranesi on your list. I bought it meaning to read it immediately but put it off. I have added Stoneweilder to my TBR. Thanks for the list!!! Buona festa and Happy New Year!!!
I hope you’ll love Piranesi when you read it. I remember it with much fondness and a sense of wonder with a touch of melancholy. My very best to you for an awesome year of reading in 2022!
So little time to read so many great books. Excellent video as always.
Thank you, Jorge, and my very best wishes to you for reading books you enjoy!
This was probably my biggest year reading books. Started and finished for The Dark Tower got caught up on a handful of series and because of you I'm three and a half books into Malazan! Can't wait to see where 2022 takes me.
That’s so awesome, Joseph! I’m hoping the best for you and your Malazan journey, and, of course, my best wishes to you for much fulfillment in your writing and in life for 2022!
Great list! I'm planning on reading John Gwynne's Faithful and the Fallen in the new year.
I started a library job this year so I've had a lot more opportunity to read and Ive finally got round to many classics (Lord of the Rings, 1984, Brave New World, The Handmaids Tale). I've also really enjoyed Robin Hobb's Farseer trilogy and Black Sun by Rebecca Roanhorse.
Keep up the good work Philip. Happy New year!
Those are some excellent reads, Milly! I often wished to work at a library myself. I love libraries and feel so at home surrounded by books. I wish you much fulfillment there and in your reading!
Can't wait till you finish the Dark Tower series. The ending is interesting!
I also can’t wait! Wizard and Glass is certainly living up to expectations!
Great vid! I bought Piranesi on sale for my kindle. I'll move it up on my TBR. My favs for this year has been the Cradle series by Will Wight, I read books 4-6 of First Law (the stand alones) and loved them all. I'm on book 2 of Age of Madness and the greatness continues. Also Senlin Ascends finished this year and book 3 was awesome. I'm reading the final one now. TGINW will be my first read of 2022. I want to take my time and enjoy it since SE is also my all time fav author.
I'm guessing that you will enjoy The God Is Not Willing immensely, Tricia. Erikson is my favorite author too, and I think he's in peak form. I hope you'll like Piranesi, and I could not agree more about First Law. First rate!
Hi Philip. Congratulations on 11k subscribers! 👍
My favorite reads of the year have been :
The God is not willing
Player of Games
Berserk
Use of Weapons
Take care Philip and I look forward to all the discussions to come in the new year.
Thank you, Seth! The God Is Not Willing is truly wonderful in the best Malazan way. My deepest thanks for your participation on the channel and for every one of your comments this past year. My best to you for the coming one!
Pretty much all of these are on my list to read. I enjoyed The Wisdom of Crowds, but I personally thought The Trouble with Peace was the perfect book. Glad you had a great reading year!
Thank you, Zara! I’d love to hear more of your thoughts on Age of Madness someday. My best to you for your year of reading in 2022!
Awesome nameplate!
I haven't read any of these, but they seem interesting! I'm currently on Reaper's gale and I will begin Wrath at some point this winter, so I'm working on Malazan and Gwynme books.
My favorites of 2021 were probably Hyperion, Dark Matter, Project Hail Mary, Midnight Tides or Ruin
Sounds like you had an excellent year of reading in 2021, and I hope 2022 will be even better!
@@PhilipChaseTheBestofFantasy thanks, I wish you a great year of reading as well
Nice list, it’s always great to get more books to add to ones TBR pile!
I mostly read through The Dresden Files and Wheel of time this year, my favorite from those series is probably Ghost Story (Dresden) and Knife of Dreams (WoT)
Those are two massive series, Erik, so you definitely did plenty of reading. My best wishes for your reading in 2022!
@@PhilipChaseTheBestofFantasy thank you! And I hope you’ll have a great reading and channel year!
Thank you for the John Gwynne insight, Philip. It's very rewarding as a viewer to get an analysis of Gwynne's writing style in Of Blood and Bone over his Faithful and Fallen series. All of which had bypassed me. A Time of Courage was my favourite book of the year though. Your glowing praise of Joe Abercrombie's series (read the first, just haven't gotten to the rest of the series) needs to be bumped up my TBR, along with Mark Lawrence and the perpetual Dark Tower books which seems to be a series I never quite get to. Best wishes for the coming new year.
My guess is you’ll enjoy Abercrombie and Lawrence’s books, especially if you like Gwynne’s. Abercrombie and Lawrence are both fantastic in their own ways, but they’re also two writers with great psychological insights and quite a sense of humor. My very best to you for your reading, Mark!
@@PhilipChaseTheBestofFantasy I don’t often comment and I can see why as I totally referenced the wrong book and series!! I meant Shadow of The Gods as my favourite book and was referring to your analysis of Faithful and Fallen versus the Bloodsworn. Off to give myself a good talking too!
@@markjlacey Ha ha! No worries! I often mix up titles myself. 😄
Thanks to you and Mike for introducing me to John Gwynne. Love his writing, drawing close to Erikson for favorite modern fantasy author. And I'm going to get both Bloodsworn books in May.
I read some of the early ICE books and struggled with them. I felt the plot and characters somewhat thin. That may have been me comparing him too much with Erikson. But I've heard more than one person say he's improved considerably since the early books. So I may give him another go.
Books 3 and 4 of Novels of the Malazan Empire are on another level from the earlier two, though Night of Knives is actually a great book, I think. I’m so glad to hear you’re loving Gwynne’s books! My very best to you for your reading in 2022, Shawn!
So, Doctor Fantasy has mutated into Doctor Question Mark? Well, at least it bespeaks a scientific mind... A great collection of titles! I hope to read some of them in 2022. Looking forward to accompany you on your journey through the endless realm of Fantasy!
Hello, Johan! Dr. Fantasy is always mutating. It's called evolution! How do you think I stay ahead of Professor Fireballs? In all seriousness, my deepest thanks to you for your participation on the channel and for your kindness, and my best to you for the year to come!
I didn't enjoy Piranesi as much as you did, but I'm very happy to see Wisdom of Crowds on here!
The Wisdom of Crowds is brilliant! I don’t think Abercrombie can miss for me, and I know he’s one of your favorites too, if not your favorite. Happy reading for 2022, Klaus!
@@PhilipChaseTheBestofFantasy thanks, happy reading to you as well!
Great list Philip! All of these are on my list except maybe Wheel of Osheim, because I DNFd Prince of Thorns, so if it’s in the same world I’m not sure it will be for me. I can’t wait to watch your review of Wizard & Glass.
Thanks, Chas! It’s been a great year for me, and I’m so grateful that you were part of it. Here’s to an awesome year to come, my friend!
What a great list! You have influenced my reading very heavily this year and am so grateful for your videos.
I started The Book of the Fallen at the end of July and I am currently halfway through Reaper's Gale, it has truly been an amazing journey so far! I also read the first volume of the Bauchelain and Korbal Broach novellas and they were a really fun palette cleanser that I wove in-between the big books.
I was able to dip my toes in to the ICE novels by reading Night of Knives and I have already picked up Return of the Crimson Guard.
The two most anticipated series I have queued up for next year are the First Law Trilogy and The Faithful and the Fallen.
Please keep the recommendations coming this has been a great year for reading!
I’m so glad that Malazan has been working for you! My very best wishes to you for First Law and The Faithful and the Fallen, and also for the rest of your reads in 2022!
Wonderful video Philip.
Excited to see how your channel grow in the future.
All the best for 2022!
Thank you, Vic! My very best to you as well for this year!
@@PhilipChaseTheBestofFantasy tyvm :)
I aim to read the complete WoT series, so I'm excited for that.
And if things go well this year, maybe I move on to Malazan in a year or two. ^_^
@@VicRibeiro777 Best wishes with WoT, Vic!
Great list there Philip! I also read The Shadow of the Gods. It was fantastic and I couldn't put it down! Also, being from Norway I recognized a lot of elements from Norse Mythology and the Viking age which was really fun and interesting to discover. This was the first book I read by John Gwynne, and I will be reading The Faithful and the Fallen this year which I got for christmas.
I read Stonewielder back when it was released and absolutely love Esslemonts works in the Malazan world. I think every one of his books add to the majesty and mystery of that world. I will dare to say that you'll enjoy Blood and Bone and Assail which comes after Orb Sceptre Throne.
I have not read the Path to Ascendancy trilogy yet but I'm looking forward to them when I eventually get to them in my TBR also.
And to continue on that note I'm probably going to put The God Is Not Willing on this years TBR. Everything Steven Erikson publishes turns to gold. Some day I'll do a re-read of everything in the Malazan world to refresh my memories and enjoyment of the series, as well as pick up on new things I missed the first time.
I'll add to the other commenters here and say that your Dr. Fantasy plaque is cool and on point!
My best reads for 2021 was:
The Shadow of the Gods (John Gwynne)
Eisenhorn: Xenos (Dan Abnett)
Halo: Shadows of Reach (Troy Denning)
One Day in the Life of Ivan Denisovich (Aleksandr Solzhenitsyn)
The Man in the High Castle (Philip K. Dick)
Tiamat's Wrath (James S.A. Corey)
I didn't read as much as I had wanted this year, but I'm quite happy about what I did read and am looking forward to this year's bookish adventures!
Thank you, Spartanus! It sounds like you had a great year of reading. There are some minor Norse elements in The Faithful and the Fallen, which has a largely Celtic flavor with some prominent Roman elements. I hope you’ll enjoy it. Since you’ve enjoyed all else Malazan, I’m confident you’ll love The God Is Not Willing and Paths to Ascendancy. My very best wishes to you for a fulfilling year of reading in 2022!
Very nice list Philip, many of which are on my TBR. You might have finally convinced me to read the Dark Tower 😏. One small gem I found this year was The Terror by Giles Kristian; it is a wonderful novella. Cheers.
I had not heard of The Terror, so thank you for the recommendation, Francois! If you try Dark Tower, I hope you'll love it. Also, my deepest thanks to you for your participation on the channel and your kindness.
I started reading Malazan in January and just started book 10 a week ago. This series is simply amazing.
I’m so glad you’re enjoying Malazan, Shawn! My best wishes for the finish!
Great video,now I'm even more anxious to start The Age of Madness this Saturday.Currently I'm 100 pages into Sharp Ends,like it so far.
Awesome! I hope you’ll thoroughly enjoy Age of Madness, Ciprian!
Wizard & Glass is amazing. I love it so much, glad you are enjoying it 😁 While I enjoyed some parts of Piranesi, I was very disappointed at the end because I felt that a lot of things were never explained. LOL at the new nameplate 😅🤣
Thank you, Crystal! I’m most definitely loving Wizard and Glass. The nameplate is from Allen at the Library of Allenxandria. I couldn’t resist including it. My very best to you for 2022!
I don't know if it technically counts as Fantasy, but I just finished David Vann's retelling of the Medea myth, 'Bright Air Black', and was absolutely blown away. I'd be fascinated by your take on it, particularly as -alongside Medea - one of Vann's top four texts of all time is Beowulf, so you share literary tastes.
I already like Vann’s tastes! 😁 Thanks for the recommendation, Steve - sounds like something I’d enjoy!
Love the nameplate, Dr. Fantasy, nemesis of Professor Fireballs! :)
Great video, Philip! Thank you for sharing this with us!
Even though I hardly read anything for the past months, my favorite reads for this year were:
Steven Erikson - Rejoyce, A Knife to the Heart
Steven Erikson - This River Awakens
Steven Erikson - the Willful Child trilogy
Steven Erikson - The God is not Willing
Piranesi
Excellent reads, Rox! After I finish all of the Malazan books, I’d like to read all of Erikson’s other published books. It sounds like you accomplished that this year. Thanks so much for your warmth, kindness, and support - it all means the world to me. And my very best wishes to you for 2022!
@@PhilipChaseTheBestofFantasy Philip, you always honor and humble me with your kindness. Thank you, for everything! :)
This ended up having a lot of the same books I love this year.
I'm glad you were able to find so much amazing new stuff while also rereading all the Malazan stuff.
You know it is a good reading year, when even without the main aspect of it, it still has a ton of great stuff
Also that name card is amazing
I always knew you were a gentleman of excellent taste, Jake! It’s cool that we’ve enjoyed some of the same reads in 2021. Perhaps it’s because I’m one quarter Canadian. Perhaps it’s just because we’re both clever chaps. Anyway, I wish you the very best for the year ahead! Oh, and the nameplate is from that Allen fellow over at The Library of Allenxandria. 😄
Hi you got some great books on ur list! I hope u had a nice Christmas?? Happy reading to you!! 📖❄️
Thank you, Safina! Happy reading to you too!
I wasn't a big fan of the first trilogy set in the Broken Empire world but I've decided to give the second one a try this year. Hopefully I'll enjoy this one more!
Happy New Year Philip, thanks for all the amazing content you've put out this year!
I hope you’ll enjoy Red Queen’s War. Jalan and Snorri are two of my favorite fantasy characters, and I can’t count the number of times they made me laugh - and cry a few times too. My best to you for your reading!
Great video. My two standouts that I read this year were The Shadow of the Gods and God Emperor of Dune
Excellent! I’d like to read further in the Dune series someday as well. My best wishes to you for your reading in the coming year!
Some of my faves from this year are AL of First Law (especially Best Served Cold and Wisdom of Crowds), Project Hail Mary, and probably my favorite series of all, which I hope you'll read soon if you haven't, is The Books of Babel by Josiah Bancroft
I recently bought the first three of the books in the Books of Babel series and am eager to read them. The next time I buy a batch of books, the fourth will be among them. I’ll likely start in March or April, I hope. Also, you can’t go wrong with First Law, in my humble opinion. My best to you for your reading in 2022!
Wouldn't it be nice to have an other "trilogy of standalones" and then a new trilogy from Abercrombie? A Wisdom Of Crowds was also one of my favourite new books this year.
(And talking about trilogies: a new trilogy by Lawrence set in the Red Queen's War world would be nice as well, i think.)
My other two favourites this year were The God is not Willing and The Fall of Babel.
Also loved Piranesi and the Dark Tower series, which was the first fantasy series that i read several times.
Best wishes for 2022 for you and your loved ones and happy reading! 🥂
I completely agree with you about all those prospective trilogies! I’ll be reading The Books of Babel soon, I hope. My very best to you for your reading in the New Year!
Amazing video, and the thumbnail, as everyone is saying, looks great. I was wondering if you could give me more recommendations on essays related to fantasy, like From Elfland to Poughkeepsie.
Thanks, Guido! I actually hired my younger daughter to make thumbnails for me. Ha ha! To answer your question, Tolkien's essay "On Fairy Stories" is another classic, of course. Stephen Donaldson's "Epic Fantasy in the Modern World" is another one, and I believe he's written several such essays. Also, I know that Steven Erikson often posts fantasy related essays on his Facebook. Those are the ones that spring to mind.
I happen to own a book, called 'Fantasists on Fantasy, A Collection of Critical Reflections', edited by Robert H. Boyer and Kenneth J. Zahorski. It was published by Avon Books in 1985... Eighteen practitioners of the genre, from George MacDonald through Lovecraft and Tolkien, to LeGuin, Kurtz and Moorcock, shine a light on the genre and their practice. I checked - there are copies on eBay. Recommended!
@@JohanHerrenberg Thanks, Johan!
@@PhilipChaseTheBestofFantasy Thanks for everything!
@@JohanHerrenberg Thanks! I will check it out right away.
The audiobook for Piranesi was also beautifully performed. Chiwetel Ejiofor was amazing!
I hadn't heard that yet, so thank you!
Happy New Year, Philip! What a joy it was to watch this. I needed to get out of my 2021 funk so I knew I had to come to your channel to re-invigorate my reading life..! Once again you have given me that nudge to try some books that have been on my radar, particularly Piranesi and Mark Lawrence. My Malazan journey is long and slow, I have yet to finish the first book. But WHAT is it about that world? It's sticking to my consciousness like a mysterious residue... so I'm not giving up yet... LOL! Cheers.
It’s wonderful to hear from you, Sun! I would love to hear your thoughts on Piranesi if you read it. Susanna Clarke is an incredibly talented writer. Among Mark Lawrence’s books, I hope to read Book of the Ancestor, the trilogy about assassin nuns, this year. As for Malazan, it can feel like a big mountain to climb, but the view from the top is indescribable. If you decide to make any videos on any of your reads, I’ll be keen to watch. My very best wishes to you and your loved ones for 2022!
Dr Philip. Really appreciate you giving praise to ICE. I am currently reading Stonewielder and it’s absolutely fantastic. Have really enjoyed the novels of the Malazan empire outside of the main 10 books. Thanks for spreading the word.
I’ve come to admire Esslemont’s writing tremendously. Definitely an author deserving far more recognition. Thanks, Michael!
Upping the thumbnail game, I see!
I think it is a passive aggressive attack on his nemesis 😂
Ha ha! I hired my younger daughter to make them for me.
Shadow of the Gods is my current read. So far I'm really enjoying it. The Hunger of the Gods is due out in April and I can't wait.
I'm glad you're enjoying The Shadow of the Gods, Andrew. Also, it's good to know The Hunger of the Gods is coming out even earlier than I thought!
Great list! I also enjoyed The Wisdom of Crowds. Absolutely bonkers, in a good way. I can’t wait to finally start Malazan next month, I already have books 1-5. Also gonna read Of Blood and Bone by John Gwynne, I loved The Faithful and The Fallen, he has yet to miss!
I look forward to your Malazan thoughts, Marco! Also, my very best wishes to you for your reading and writing in 2022!
@@PhilipChaseTheBestofFantasy 😄
I love that Wizard & Glass made number one! The dark tower as a series deserves more love, it’s bizarre like you said, but that’s what makes it’s so good!
Dark Tower is unlike anything else I’ve read, and I love it for that. It’s cool how King isn’t afraid to go for it in his writing. Cheers, Mark!
Wizard a d glass is my favorite dark tower book. Looking forward the the review.
Thanks, Perry! I’m still loving it!
I loved the thumbnail - you’ve really stepped it up. Now onto the video ..
Ha ha! I hired my younger daughter to make my thumbnails!
@@PhilipChaseTheBestofFantasy She did a great job!
I cannot WAIT for The Hunger of the Gods and chatting with everybody about some more John Gwynne!
We should definitely all get together again for The Hunger of the Gods, Alex! My very best to you and your family for the New Year!
i quite liked piranesi as well even though it hasnt made favourite of the year for me, making my way through first law, i hope to get to wisdom of crowds in 2022 :-D
great selection Dr fantasy :-)
Thanks, Larry! I hope you'll enjoy First Law. It has some of the best character work, humor, and action in the genre, in my humble opinion. My very best to you for 2022!
Great list! A lot of those are on my ever growing tbr. I think my top books for 2021 would have to be A Storm of Swords, A Little Life, Dune, and Never Let Me Go. A Storm of Swords was so worth getting to, I admit I struggled through the first two books a bit but wow I loved ASOS. It was so fast paced and interesting! A Little Life and Never Let Me Go aren't fantasy so they were outside of my usual genre, but I thought they were both just amazing works of literature. I think both of them will stick with me for a long time. And obviously Dune, a fantastic work of science fiction. I'm super excited to read more fantasy in 2022, I have a great list lined up. My current read is The Way of Kings by Brandon Sanderson but I doubt I'll finish it before the new year.
Those are fantastic reads, Clara! I’ve read each book in ASOIAF at least twice, and I agree that A Storm of Swords is amazing. Dune was a wonderful reread for me this year, and I enjoyed the film as well. It’s been a few years since I read The Way of Kings, but I recall liking it very much. Best wishes with it and with all your reads in the coming year!
What I really liked about 2021 on RUclips is seeing so many booktubers taking up Malazan.
2021 was a great year for Malazan on BookTube, and I have every hope that will continue into 2022. Cheers, Jeroen!
Great books to have as as standouts for the year. Piranesi is among my favorites as well. Some of my other favorites for 2021 were The Paper Managerie and Other Stories by Ken Liu
The Green Bone Saga (the whole trilogy) by Fonda Lee
The Ten Thousand Doors of January by Alix E Harrow
The Once and Future Witches by Alix E Harrow
Black Sun by Rebecca Roanhorse
The Fox by Sherwood Smith
The Inheritance Of Orquidea Divina by Zoraida Cordova
Wonderful list! I hope to get to The Green Bone Saga later in 2022. I've also had my eye on Black Sun. So many great books to get to!
Black sun and the green bone saga are definitely amazing 😊👍
Great list, i have to get back to Erikson this year. Gwynne, can't say enough about him, wonderful. Abercrombie, have to read that one, it's the only one I have left. Ok, I haven't been on for a couple of weeks, love the Dr. Fantasy nameplate.
Thank you, Frank! I hope you’ll enjoy Abercrombie’s First Law books when you get to them. My best to you for your reads in 2022!
I’ve put John Gwynne on my list too but have opted for a time of courage. I feel like Bloodsworn will grow on me as the trilogy goes on and my attachment to the characters grows
A Time of Courage is richly deserving of the distinction of being on your list, Abby. I can’t wait for book two of Bloodsworn!
Thanks for another insightful video, I’m a huge fan of the channel. Would you consider making content of the epics of Paradise Lost and the Divine Comedy? I recently bought copies of both and would love to hear your thoughts on them. Wishing u and urs a great new year 🎉
Thanks so much! I’ll probably branch out into more classics at some point. I teach Paradise Lost every semester, so it would be fun, and Divine Comedy is obviously a big one too. A very happy New Year to you as well!
Thanks for the video! Great taste in books.
Thanks, Tyrell!
Amazing list Philip! Hard to believe I’ve been a fan for so long now, great to see your channel doing so well. I’m just curious, when do you intend to read the 3rd Robin Hobb trilogy “Tawny Man”?
Thanks, Cap! A.P. and I will start at the beginning of Realm of the Elderlings at some point early in the year. Since we’re not reading straight through, I expect Tawny Man to happen mid year at the earliest, and it could be late in the year. My very best to you for your reading and all else in 2022!
I love your nameplate! 😆
Thank you! It was a gift from my friend Allen from The Library of Allenxandria. As you can guess or might know, he has quite a sense of humor!
So glad to see this. I had to take a fantasy hiatus after finishing TBotF and NotME. I went on a horror kick and just finished The Stand last night. Ready to start this year off with some fantasy adventure!
Excellent! I wish you the very best with your reading this year!
@@PhilipChaseTheBestofFantasy I'm torn between starting either John Gwynne or Joe Abercrombie tonight. I've never read either. As a big time Malazan fan, which would you suggest?
@@zadig08 Abercrombie is a top five author for me. Like Erikson, but with a very different style, he subverts tropes, and his writing is bold and vivid. Some of the best character work in the genre, and fantastic but grim humor. His First Law series gets better with almost every book, and I loved the original trilogy. So, he gets the highest recommendation from me. Gwynne’s books are a delightful mix of classical and modern fantasy. They have a lot of heart, and while they certainly have themes like found family, courage, and love, they are more conducive to an entertaining read than a deep think in general. You can’t go wrong with either, in my opinion!
@@PhilipChaseTheBestofFantasy Thank you so much! This is exactly what I needed to hear. Joe Abercrombie starts tonight. I've just been so scared that he'll take a emotional toll on me like Erikson & Esslemont did, but Gwynne might be the perfect rebound. Sounds like the next few months are all locked up!
@@zadig08 Best wishes with it!
As you probably know now, he doesn’t mess up in the second half of Wizard and Glass, I hope you feel the same anyway. Roland is such a top notch character. I mourn for The Dark Tower already. I just finished last month. Going on to watch the review next!
Wizard and Glass is absolutely brilliant! Roland was already iconic and awesome, but now I love him. I can’t wait to continue the journey!
My favorite reading during 2021. I'll list them in the order in which they were read. An R next to a title denotes a re-read.
---Invisible Man by Ralph Ellison
---The Big Sea: An Autobiography by Langston Hughes
---This Is How You Lose the Time War by Amal El-Mohtar & Max Gladstone
---Teatro Grottesco by Thomas Ligotti
---Walt Whitman: A Life by Justin Kaplan
---Dune by Frank Herbert (R)
---What I Talk About When I Talk About Running by Haruki Murakami
---The Last House on Needless Street by Catriona Ward
---The Green Mile by Stephen King
---The Blade Itself by Joe Abercrombie
---The Prisoner of Heaven by Carlos Ruiz Zafon
---Night of the Mannequins by Stephen Graham Jones
---(Short Story) "Pale Horse, Pale Rider" by Katherine Anne Porter.
That’s an absolutely fantastic list, Curt! The places you’ve been in all those books and the people you’ve met - every book a journey. I wish you the very best for your reading in 2022 with many new journeys to come!
Just finished Dark Tower 7 (and currently reading the midquel, The Wind Through the Keyhole). I'm very curious to see your take on the latter few books of the series, I think there's a lot to talk about whenever you get to it.
I’m also interested to see what I make of the divisive last few Dark Tower books. Congratulations on finishing the seventh book in the series!
Great list doc. Mike just made his list as well. You guys should do a video where u roast each others list that wud quite entertaining
Ha ha! I’ll go check out Mike’s list in a bit. Thanks, Kyle, and my best to you for 2022!
First Law is definitely at the top of my 2021 list. I'm very intrigued by Piranesi! I was slightly disappointed with Wizard and Glass on first read (I did like it), but I think I'd really love it on a reread. It had some of his best scenes in the whole series.
First Law is simply fantastic! If you try Piranesi, I hope you’ll enjoy it. My very best to you for a fulfilling year of reading in 2022!
I've not read any Lawrence yet, maybe I should do that at some point? I did have a lot of issues with Shadow of the Gods and am not sure if I'll actually pick up the follow-up. Piranesi was one of the most impressive things I've read this year and it appealed way more to me than Strange & Norrell which had some stretches I didn't appreciate. Nothing to be added to Esslemont, I'm about to wrap up my reread of Assail and I love all his novels. I still have to read the Age of Madness trilogy but after me not really liking the first trilogy that much and him certainly improving a lot in the stand-alone novels I am hopeful this trilogy will appeal more to me. The God Is Not Willing is obviously another favourite of mine but since I finally got around to reading the Kharkanas books for the first time it's not my favourite Erikson read of 2021.I gave up on the Dark Tower after book 3 the first time so I can't even comment on Wizard & Glass. I did a lot of rereading this year so not many new books to put into a best reads list but the new Neal Stephenson and Alastair Reynolds would be in there, also both "By Force Alone" and "The Hood" by Lavie Tidhar which I'd really love to hear your thoughts on since they are a thorough deconstruction of two of the formative british mythologies and probably some of the most innovative fantasy books in a long time.
Hello, Raf! I would be very curious to hear your take on Mark Lawrence's books. He's one of the smartest writers in the fantasy genre, in my opinion. The Broken Empire and Red Queen's War trilogies do some very unexpected things too. Thank you for the recommendations as well, and my very best to you for the year ahead!
@@PhilipChaseTheBestofFantasy Thank you! Maybe we can even have a chat about some books next year? I just looked at Broken Empire and was surprised by how short Prince of Thorns is, I might be able to slip them in between longer reads then.
@@RafBlutaxt Sounds awesome to me, Raf! I’d love the opportunity to chat with you!
Am also curious on your reaction to Jorg.
Mixed reaction on Karkanas, especially about 300 pages of Fall. They Malazan but not like the Fallen.
Need to get to God is Not Willing soon... and oddly enough got Cryptonomicon and Anathem for XMas. Only read Snow Crash which was just silly fun.
Piranesi is also on my best books of last year. Such a surprise and such a great book
It was a beautiful and meditative experience for me, and I still think about it with a sense of peace and perhaps a bit of melancholy.
I completely agree with you about Esslemont’s ability to write atmosphere. He’s extremely underrated in that respect. And honestly just underrated in general, especially in the Malazan community. I love how he wrote about the Stormguard in Stonewielder. Esslemont somehow manages to up the creepy atmosphere even more in Blood and Bone. I didn’t care for some of the characters in that novel, but the man can really write about the jungle.
I completely agree with you, and it’s a shame that even within the Malazan readership there is some dismissal, much of it rote, of Esslemont’s wonderful contributions to the Malazan world and fantasy.
@@PhilipChaseTheBestofFantasy I imagine it’s because there’s a jarring change of style from Erikson to Esslemont, but it’s unfortunate how many readers gave up on Esslemont early on.
I also loved The God is Not Willing. It made me realize how much I missed all the Malazan marine banter.
@@kirihara120 Oh, yes! The God Is Not Willing is brilliant! The only downer is having to wait for book two. 😁
Nice list, from what I hear at least. I haven’t actually read any of these! 😅
Lots to look forward to, then, Liam! Cheers, and happy new year!
Hello Philip. There are some excellent books here. I was especially happy to see the additional book Wizard and glass even though you have not yet finished it. Fear not, I'm sure it will still be on your list after you're done. I loved Wizard and glass, it was my favourite of the series and then Wolves of Calla blew me away with the connections to a certain other Stephen King book which happens to be one of my all time favourite books from him. Therefore Wolves of Calla is my favourite now. I am still wading through The Dark Tower the last book and struggling to a; Find time to read and b; I feel like certain occurrences in this the last book have taken me out of the story. I know the last book is devicive however I will finish it by New Year.
My favourite books of the year and now 2 of my favourite books of all time were; Dune by Frank Herbert and Dracula by Bram Stoker.
My favourite series of the year was The Faithful and the Fallen by John Gwynne and my favourite non 'fantasy' book was Lean, fall, stand by Jon McGregor.
I'm looking forward to your review of Wizard and glass later this week.
Thank you for all your wonderful videos this year Philip. You are very much appreciated.
Thanks so much, Tracey! Dune was a standout for me too, though it was technically a reread for me and so not on this list. I’m curious to see what happens in Dark Tower. And hooray for The Faithful and the Fallen! My deepest gratitude to you for your participation in the channel and your many wonderful comments. I am more grateful than I can say!
@@PhilipChaseTheBestofFantasy My comments on here tend to get away from me. I don't think I've ever managed to write less than half a book of words. 🤓 It's like I'm chatting to a friend Philip so thank you for letting me ramble on.
Also funnily enough both of my favourites are classics which is my preferred genre so I shouldn't have been surprised there. Another also, I have had numerous 5* if you will books rather a lot actually however a 5* classic for me is a country mile away from a 5* fantasy book even though some people might assume they're the same.
@@yorkshirelasstracey5383 Same here, Tracey - I’m always happy to see your comments!
@@yorkshirelasstracey5383 The classics are definitely revered for good reasons. I teach a course called English Classics, and I never tire of discussing those readings from the medieval and Renaissance periods.
Wizard & Glass is my favorite book of my favorite series. Just amazing
I’m in complete agreement!
I'm assuming I can read The Shadow of the Gods without having read any other John Gwynne books. Is that correct? I do want to read his other books, but the idea of not being behind in yet another series is appealing. :) I enjoyed your list of 2021 favorites. I'm a big fan of Mark Lawrence's Book of the Ancestor trilogy, but I've been a bit intimidated by Broken Empire. I need to just dive in and get going, because I do definitely want to read Red Queen's War. Piranesi has been on my shelf for awhile. I hope to read it in 2022.
Absolutely, yes - you can read The Shadow of the Gods without having read anything else by Gwynne. I’m looking forward to reading Book of the Ancestor in 2022. I hope you’ll enjoy Piranesi when you get to it. I wish you much fulfillment in your reads in the coming year!
Great picks 😃👍
Thank you so much!
I loved Piranesi. Once I picked it up I couldn't put it down--I just thought it was magical and beautiful. That nameplate :)
Magical and beautiful are the perfect adjectives, Rori!
I’m on memory of ice and am amazed of how brilliant Erickson is, his books have so much depth. How can he write so many pages of a complex story.
Well said! I’m amazed in exactly that way every time I read one of his books.
Here's some of my top reads of 2021
Cinderella is dead
From blood and ash
Lore
Legendborn
The dating plan
Everything after
Wizard and glass by Stephen king
The wastelands by Stephen king
A little hatred
Best served cold
The prison healer
The gilded ones
The trouble with peace
The comeback by ella berman definitely a great read
Crescent city
Fantastic list, Angela! I am finding out why Wizard and Glass is there!
Lol, that name plate is "fantastic"!
Ha ha! Thank you, Richard! It arrived courtesy of Allen from the Library of Allenxandria.
Wizard and Glass is, by far, the best you get from The Dark Tower. Jae Lee beautifully illustrated the graphic novel covering the same time frame in the series. I am interested in reading the short novels and the second trilogy from Abercrombie, but I really didn't like The First Law trilogy. I read it a long time ago... am I going to be lost going into the newer stuff? I was a little concerned with SE coming off of the Kharkanas "Trilogy", but he really killed it with The God is Not Willing. Looking forward to what comes next.
I think you’d be okay to go ahead with the standalones and The Age of Madness without rereading The First Law Trilogy, though you might want to read a summary just to jar the memory a bit. I think The God Is Not Willing could be a very approachable introduction to Erikson’s Malazan books and what he can do in his writing. Cheers!
Hi PC. Good Top list. My 2021 Top list.
1. Rise of the Silvan by R.K. Lander
2. The Blood of the Spear by Mark Timmony
3. Of Blood And Fire by Ryan Cahill
4. Dragontiarna books 8-10 by Jonathan Moeller
5. Memories of Prophecies by Davis Ashura
6. The Tiger’s Imperium by Marc Alan Edelheit
7. A Clash of Fates by Philip C. Quaintrell
8. The Song of the First Blade by T.C. Edge
9. Bloodline/ Reaper by Will Wight
10. Wraithblade by S. M. Boyce
11. The Shadow of the Gods by JG
An excellent list, and I wish as much satisfaction or more in the reading year ahead -- cheers, and thank you for all your support on the channel!
My own favourites of this year would be:
1. The Gap Cycle
2. Malazan 9 & 10
3. Prince of Nothing
4. Hyperion
5. 'Salem's Lot
I would urge you to read 'Salem's Lot both because it is an amazing horror book (King's ruthless version of Dracula) and because its story continues in Wolves of Cala and the next Dark Tower books.
Excellent list! I’m considering Salem’s Lot, especially since I know that Dark Tower spoils it. My best to you for your reading in 2022!
Honestly, its own prologue 'spoils' it in a way but it is all about King's masterful ability to create this small world of a town in which the reader knows disaster will strike.
Also looking forward to your review of Wizard and Glass which was one of the best Dark Tower books for me.
@@whispersofthewind8401 Sounds like the sort of thing King could pull off!
Piranesi was a great and interesting read. One of the things I liked best was the storyline. It seems to me that a lot of fantasy is cookie cutter. Sagas of people traveling on a quest. Using magical powers to change the world or conquer the world. Young magicians growing up and developing their powers. Piranesi is none of these. In my reading, it is a unique (and I mean that one of a kind) storyline. Short and easy read. The author created a true fantasy.
Beautifully said, Don, and I couldn’t agree more!