I just can’t express how much I love this channel. Every video makes me smile. I feel like I found my people 😂 I’m going to move mountains to get to jonathan strange and mr norrell and a song for arbonne soon 😤
Love that you have Midsummer's Night Dream on here! So many people don't count it and to me, it absolutely fits! I'll be reading my first GGK book this year and you convinced me to start with Song of Arbonne. You introduced me to few new books this year and I'm so grateful for it! My favorite book this year so far wasn't fantasy (all the fantasy I read this year was in a series) but falls more under sci-fi was Toward Eternity by Anton Hur. It's PHENOMENAL and so beautiful - I highly recommend!
This video is so brilliant! Absolutely need to read To Ride Hell's Chasm- I've been meaning to read Janny Wurts for so long now! (also mandatory yay for Warbreaker being here)
Okay when you were talking about David Liss you caught me... "there are living trees..." you mean trees live? I swear they were zombies. 😂 Always a lovely time being here seeing you share your reading life with all of us. You two are such a wonderful touch to the week, you are appreciated by all of us. I look forward to many more years of this. Keep up the fun please.
@@tallaaron1115 thanks so much for that. So get this. The lead character in this book is slowly transforming from human to tree. Cmon now that’s good stuff!
Great video Standalone fantasies I would really love to pick up more of them. I read Johnathan Strange and Mr Norrell this year and loved it, the one uppmanship, the world and how well she did the victorian style of writing it was a really great read and some of the footnotes were ridonkulous!
@Talking_Story they really do add a lot to the lore! I would also recommend the Johnathan Strange TV series that BBC did. they did a really good job (they didn't finish the book sadly) but I enjoyed it!
So I found this channel about 2 months ago and let me just tell you guys that you're such a treasure! Love the enthusiasm and the vim behind every thing that you guys do, as its, genuinely, a talking story lol! Keep up the great work 👊🏾😎
I could watch you agonizing over your top 10 lists all day every day hahaha. Truly amazing list again, I love that this is gonna become a yearly tradition! Also, with the way you talk about Addie LaRue, I think you would also really love A Love Song For Ricki Wilde by Tia Williams. Absolutely one of my top reads of the year, such a powerful story 🤩
What an absolute rollercoaster ride to see the changes from last years. Great list with a bunch I need to hit. I still have no GGK or Susanna Clarke under my belt 🤦🏻♂️
@@ithrahmunchswallow468 I'm just over half way through Tigana, really enjoying it. I will likely get round to more GGK in the future, will add Ysabel to my tbr :)
I love that you have a GGK rule after reading one book. I read four GGK books this year. My favorites are Under Heaven and The Lions of Al-Rassan. I can’t wait to read A Song for Arbonne.
I was actually planning on going to the bookstore after work to pick up Jonathan Strange and Mr. Norell after work today. Been on my tbr for awhile and am looking to start it very soon. Can't wait. Just finished Warbreaker over the weekend and really enjoyed it. Love the content brother
NICE! 'A Song for Arbonne' is definitely my favorite GGK. Also, have you read Neil Gaiman's 'Death: The High Cost of Living' ? For sure my all time favorite comic series. Thanks John & Jakob!
You have made me want to read GGK, Jonathon Strange, Addie Larue, and Janny Wurts. I adore The Hobbit!! I plan on reading A Midsummers night dream with my kids in the spring.
Great video John! I knew that GGK would hit the list somewhere. I need to read more from him, and also need to read Jonathan Strange. I’ve been putting it off lol.
Arbonne! 🤩🙌 Yeah, the GGK rule is necessary, in deed! Having two-three of his books each year so far, has been natural highlights to look forward to each year for me! 😅 Also, still waiting for that call for the live-read by you and me, John, as Blaise & Bertran chasing sheep in the mountains. respectively! 😄(I jest, but totally down for it if you wanted to! 😁) Cheers Mintons!
I've been wanting to read Jonathan Strange and Mr. Norrell for a while now and I actually pre-ordered it recently in a beautiful hardback edition, can't wait! American Gods was phenomenal!
Hey J&J! This is a great resource for me to save if/when I want some standalone books. I'm only 200 pages into Way of Kings, so it may be QUITE a while until I'm done with the Stormlight Archives! LOL John - be NICE to Jakob! He's a saint for handling all of your technology! Thanks for the video, gents!
I remember adding A Song for Arbonne to my tbr back when you first read it but I haven't gotten around to it. GGK and Neil Gaiman are two authors that I've seen crash people's top lists so they are definitely on my tbr now. As the guy who's been reading LotR for the first time for the past month, I completely agree. My resident LotR buff in my life recommended I read The Hobbit last (I'm not sure what his reasons are, but I listened) and I completely agree with everything you said. I never realized what Tolkien accomplished with that world and I finally understand why what he did is the absolute pinnacle of fantasy. Middle Earth truly feels unbeatable compared to what else I've read
@@Talking_Story You are so right. Every time I pick up those books I feel transported to another world, even if I can only read it for 15-20 minutes (like on my breaks at work lol)
This is one of the most diverse Top 10 I’ve seen. Song of Arbonne is absolutely amazing and definitely one of my favorite reads of 2024. My top 3 standalones would be The Stand by Stephen King, The Martian by Andy Weir, and Kindred by Octavia Butler.
Yeah Guy Gavriel Kay would be on my list - but I am not sure which book. I would also include Little Big by John Crowley, The Dragon Waiting by John M. Ford, Strandloper by Alan Garner, and something by Graham Joyce - probably his The Facts Of Life (but they are all worth reading).
@ it’s a good one-I chose my MA thesis topic just so I could write about Little, Big. Similar to how JS&MN drove me to write my dissertation about alternate history fantasies. I stand by those two, and everything else I listed in my initial comment :)
A good list! Though you put my number 1 at number 2! That said, I’ll take it. It’s kind of awkward doing a list like this for me, because my favorite fantasy novel is a standalone. So I’ll recommend some random standalone fantasies here: The Changeling Hollow Horns
I understand why it fell off, but I did love Seanan's Middlegame. And you know Schwab is one of my holy grail's ;) Looking forward to next year's top ten list :D
@@Talking_Story Me too.. it's languishing in my TBR pile... there's just so many good books to read (headbang) - I think we both need that whole vampire thing to live long enough to read all the books :D
Wonderful list! I’m not at all surprised A Song for Arbonne made it so high. While A Song one is my favorite, you’ve got to read Lions of Al-Rassan! Thanks for making me want to reread The Hobbit. 🧝🏼♀️
10. The wizards first rule - Terry Goodkind 9. Howling Dark - Christopher Ruocchio 8. The Eye of the World - Robert Jordan 7. The Lonesome Crown - Brian Lee Durfee 6. The Blade Itself - Joe Abercrombie 5. The Fifth Season - N K Jemisin 4. Name of the Wind - Patrick Rothfuss 3. Dune - Frank Herbert 2. Fahrenheit 451 - Ray Bradbury 1. Imajica - Clive Barker 1 and 2 are interchangeable
@@Talking_Story Thank you! Yours was awesome, thank you for sharing. I am currently reading Tigana by Kay, it may contend for top spots on my list. After that I am going to read A Song For Arbonne.
Love this vid! My list changes day to day tbh. My Sanderson choice would be Tress and I need to give Jonathan strange and Mr Norrell another shot. I’ve been thinking about it anyways. By this video really made me realize I’m such a series sucker. I need to read more standalone stuff!
Oh, I was recommended Hamlet and Othelo when I was very young, and I read a translation but damn they were good! LaRue I honestly did not like it at all, but that's reading--incredibly subjective. American Gods is just sooooo good; what an incredible book, loved it. I think I need to re-read it though. There are two other books in that universe but it works pretty much as a standalone. I'm curious, mildly related but have you read Rejoice by Steven Erikson? It's a standalone as well. Super keen on hearing your thoughts!
@@liviajelliot I will look up Rejoice and add it to the list. Starting with Hamlet and Othello. Wow! LaRue is not for all but it hits my love of pretty language, examination of immortality and what that does to our humanity and my romantic heart. What can I say
@@Talking_Story Hope you enjoy Rejoice! So eager to hear your thoughts on it if you get to it! The book full name is "Rejoice: A Knife to the Heart". Same author as Malazan, but it's definitely *not* Malazan in the space.
Gentles do not reprehend: If you pardon, we will mend ❤❤ Addie is on the list. Weave-world, Peculiarities 🤔 Hell's Chasm 😕 I have to read both Clarke's 😳 ❤❤GGK I have some top 10 lists planned before the end of the year 🤪 Love your list 🎉
Brother! Man I have thoughts on this list! More importantly, big shout out to Jakob for titling this video in a very non-clickbait way. "MY TOP 10" is very different IMO than "TOP 10". I can't tell you how much I appreciate this approach. But you already know that. I hatessess it :)
@@BrianBell7 no way have I read enough to be any kind of authority. This is just an update on how my favs are changing and changing me on this reading journey.
To no one’s surprise, The Pointy Stick Book (a.k.a. The Spear Cuts Through Water) by Simon Jimenez tops my list of favorite standalone fantasy books. Haha! The rest of the list: 2) Cloven Hooves by Megan Lindholm 3) Jonathan Strange & Mr. Norrell by Susanna Clarke 4) The Stone Boatmen by Sarah Tolmie 5) Lapvona by Ottessa Moshfegh 6) A Brightness Long Ago by Guy Gavriel Kay 7) The Folding Knife by K. J. Parker 8) The Starless Sea by Erin Morgenstern 9) The Forest of Enchantments by Chitra Banerjee Divakaruni
I loved the list update, I haven't read many standalones, I would put Susanna Clarke twice like last year, Pan's Labyrinth, Anansi Boys, Elantris. I can't wait to read some GGK, read the sample of song for Arbonne and I would put on my list just because of the prologue 😂
I love Warbreaker so much. It honestly may even top stormlight for me. That magic system is so good, so many twists and turns with an amazing payoff, and I think Lightsong is the best character Sanderson has ever written. And I gotta jump into some GGK and Susanna Clarke next year!
Stand alone Fantasy is hard to come by. My list would also include The Hobbit and Jonathan Strange & Mr Norrell. and my Neil Gaiman would be Neverwhere. I would also have Spindles End by Robin McKinley, Confessions of an Ugly Stepsister by Gregory Maguire, Heartless by Marissa Meyer, Spinning Silver by Naomi Novak, Gods of Jade and Shadow by Silvia Moreno-Garcia, and both The Night Circus and The Starless Sea by Erin Morgenstern. I don't necessarily recommend them to others though. They just speak strongly to me.
I'm a bit sad that Sanderson didn't talk about bringing back Warbreaker along with Elantris. Got To Ride Hells Chasm and a couple GGK books on the ever growing list 😂
I will definitely be checking these out, thank you for this list! I don't think I've read enough standalones to make a top 10, so I'll do a top 5. And reading one of your list right now, I expect this will change soon. 5. Revival, by Stephen King 4. Sweet Bean Paste, by Durian Sukegawa 3. This Is How You Lose The Time War, by Amal El-Mohtar and Max Gladstone 2. Piranesi, by Susanna Clarke 1. The Thousand Autumns of Jacob de Zoet, by David Mitchell
I'd never heard of him until a few weeks ago when Splintered Light channel recommended Song of Arbonne to me. I struggled through the prologue and nearly gave up. But I am really enjoying it now. It seems almost as epic as Ken Follett's Pillars of the Earth, which is my all time favourite.
@@Talking_Story I'm only a little over a third in so maybe after my current read I'll get back to it. I couldn't help myself and just kept going with Memory Sorrow & Thorn. Should be finished that in a few days.
Any recommendations for standalone fantasies that are on the shorter side like 300 or so less pages? My TBR is filled with far too many 600+ page books these days and I'd like to find some interesting novels on the shorter side to fit in in-between the larger books.
@@Talking_Story Awesome thanks for the recs. Been considering getting into the Dresden files and using those for inbetweeners is a great idea. Especially with how many there are so it could be a good way to make some consistent progress through the series.
The Dragon Waiting by John M. Ford which I mentioned is good and just over 300 pages. Weaves real history, vampirism, magic and more. Note there are no real dragons in the book - so don't expect a book with dragons. A lot of Graham Joyce's work is 300 pages or less and is all standalone. Maybe Emma Bull's Territory would work for you - which is a weird western.
i was going to say your list was refreshing without the high fantasy popular books like Sanderson, Tolkein and Robert Jordan, but then you got the Hobbit, warbreaker, etc. For the most part your list is very unique as to what is the popular booktube fantasy lists. its usually all Joe Abercrombie, Robert Jordan, Stephen King, Tolkein and Brandon Sanderson,.
@@Rumham7291 I try to spread my reading around from the popular to not so much. Trying to catch up with fantasy as I have really been a horror fan for so much of my life. So names like Abercrombie and Sanderson were completely unknown to me a year and a half ago when I started this channel to broaden my reading.
@@Talking_Story they make you feel major FOMO if you dont read like stormlight archive and i read way of kings and it didnt blow my mind or anything, same with wheel of time. Im reading fellowship of the ring right now and I can get why it gets the praise it does.
@ I am about 6 books into WoT and I am having a hard time going back too. I say find the story that speaks to you. Life is too short to read anything that doesn’t move you. I have found somethings that I can’t get into become favs as I get older. You never know.
Have all of these - save the Peculiarities which I have never heard of - but need to read them, and we share 2 (though it was 3): 10 Peter Pan - James Barrie 9 Coraline - Neil Gaiman (Have yet to read most of Gaiman, but I was enchantingly disturbed) 8 Something Wicked This Way Comes - Ray Bradbury. 7 WeaveWorld - Clive Barker 6 Pan's Labyrinth - (there's a novelization of the movie by Cornella Funke that's wonderful) 5 Piranesi - Susanna Clarke 4 the Last Unicorn - Peter S. Beagle 3 The Wizard of Earthsea - Ursula K. Le Guin 2 the Neverending Story - Michael Ende 1 The Silmarillion - JRR Tolkien, Christopher Tolkien and Guy Gavriel Kay. I can't prove it, but I think It'd work on it's own for one determined, though some might want to stop short of the last section to not spoil tLotR. Course I adore the Hobbit too, and for much longer, and would have it hear if I wasn't limiting to one author spot.
@@Talking_Story True, but Coraline, Pan's Labyrinth and Weaveworld are also Fantasy/Horror, like so much of horror is - otherwise the genre would maily be about serial killers.
@@Talking_Story Uh oh, don't over think it (sorry Jacob🤭)! You've also read more standalones , which perhaps doesn't make your list easier, but it's easier to think of things that lean into high fantasy more, my list is maybe more in the fringe of that Huge genre umbrella. When you aim for top ten in the fuzzy genre of fantasy, there's no holds _"bard"_ eh Shakespeare? 🥸😄
Really enjoyed Weaveworld, but much prefer Mr Barker’s Imajica as his most brilliant work of fantasy. Haven’t stopped thinking about it since reading it in February
@@tannersturgeon2448 that is a standalone isn’t it? May have to really reconsider next year. I always think of the 2 series I am waiting for books from him. Book of the Art and Abarat.
@ yes it’s a beefy standalone (800 pages of small font in my trade paperback) but well worth your time. The theme of reconciliation laden throughout the novel should speak to all of us
@@groofay I think it does. It stands on its own where I would say Anansi needs American Gods for context. In the same world but American Gods works as a stand alone IMO.
@@Talking_Story Okay, I'll respect that. For the record, I've read Anansi Boys but not American Gods, and I think it stands by itself. As for when I'll read American Gods...I don't know. I have a harder time separating art from artist.
@@Talking_Story I am old school, as much as I am enjoying my re-read of Stormlight Archies right now, I'd have to say my favorite standalone is Mercedes Lackey - Sacred ground. I don't read many standalones, I like large series. more.
I have a strang sense of humor, if you haven't noticed. It was so funny watching the big stack of books jiggle when you moved at your desk. Don't ask me why. I like that best medicine stuff and try to whip up some laughter whenever I can.
@@tukkerintensity5575 I have not but it is on the stack. I have read Lesser Dead and Blacktongue Thief by him so far. Thanks for this. It is gonna move it up the TBR!
@Talking_Story awesome! for some reason it is 10x better than his other books....so good. Great list you have here. I added some suggestions to my TBR!
@@arekkrolak6320 I put MidSummer at 10 due to it being a different medium and it is hard to compare contemporary novels with performance pieces in iambic pentameter for the most part. But it just has to go on my list or I am not being me.
Publishers should be seeking you out for marketing 😂😂 you sell me on books many bookttubers have recommended but never sounded so good as when you describe
Warbreaker at #5 makes me not trust anything else on this list! Not even close to the best Sanderson, who should not really be on anyone's top 10 with any of his books.
@@Talking_Story You're totally right man! Sorry, I just enjoy being a grimy internet troll over Sanderson's success from time to time. :) Piranesi and the Hobbit would be on my top 10 for sure, and if you like Kay as much as you seem to (yay!) then you should also take a look at A Spear Cuts Through Water. I'm surprised Boy's Life didn't make the cut! Thanks for being positive and cutting through my trollishness. :)
@ no worries man. We share so much of the same taste. I athe biggest McCammon fan boy. I have read everything of his. Boys Life was called out for not being on my list. Didn’t consider it fantasy but maybe I need to reconsider. Could crash the list next year. GGK totally blew my hair back. Next up for me is lions.
Now I have read very little standalones in general. It never feels like I've spent enough time with the world. But even still I'll list a few: Helsreach by Aaron Dembski Bowden (40K). A brutal showcasing of how fighting for, and believing, in a common uniting cause could in the end amount to nothing, even after all the bloodshed and death, it was all for nothing. Alpharius: Head of the Hydra by Mike Brooks (40K). The universes greatest liar written from a first person perspective. By the end of it you do not know if what you read was all a lie or only partially or if it was all true. An actually fantastic novella. Tress of the Emerald Sea by Brandon Sanderson. You know I think I can get away with just saying that it was just magical. Possibly even beautiful in a sense. Aaaaaand that's it. 😂 As for your list, I've only read 2 of them. That being The Hobbit and Warbreaker. The Hobbit to me so often felt like . . . . it lacked in everything besides prose. I love the beginning with the Shire and the company being formed, but the rest just wasn't interesting enough really. Maybe it's because I read it for the first time this year, at the tender age of 20, but honestly, at points I do think the movies are just better. Specifically everything in Erebor and Smaug. I could listen and watch Benedict Cumberbatch as Smaug forever. As for Warbreaker, I was constantly waiting for something big to happen but it never felt like it did. About the only character I ended up caring for by then was Lightsong aaaaand that's about it. It just didn't grab my interest at any point strongly.
@@Talking_Story Where's there a whip, there's a way. Now that that song will be stuck in your head for the day..... Ot perhaps Tom Lehrer's Masochism Tango.
The assistant sounds like he is trying to make love to the microphone! The high energy book descriptions are fun and engaging, and then a soft, seductive fake voice comes over. Ehhh. I don't know. Turned me off. Two guys talking books, cool. One guy talking books and the other guy sounding like he's hiding in the closet talking to his side piece is a weird back and forth.
@@aggressivehandshakes8059 never heard Jakob’s voice described like that. Pretty funny. I can promise you from hearing my kids voice all his life he is not putting it on. That is just the way he sounds.
I just can’t express how much I love this channel. Every video makes me smile. I feel like I found my people 😂 I’m going to move mountains to get to jonathan strange and mr norrell and a song for arbonne soon 😤
@@TheBeeesKnees oh as soon as you get in please let me know all about your journey!
How much you what this channel? 😋
in all my excitement the words skip haha
Love that you have Midsummer's Night Dream on here! So many people don't count it and to me, it absolutely fits! I'll be reading my first GGK book this year and you convinced me to start with Song of Arbonne. You introduced me to few new books this year and I'm so grateful for it! My favorite book this year so far wasn't fantasy (all the fantasy I read this year was in a series) but falls more under sci-fi was Toward Eternity by Anton Hur. It's PHENOMENAL and so beautiful - I highly recommend!
@@michelleizoco I am gonna go look up that 1 right now. Midsummers and Tempest very fantastical!
This video is so brilliant! Absolutely need to read To Ride Hell's Chasm- I've been meaning to read Janny Wurts for so long now! (also mandatory yay for Warbreaker being here)
@@FunFantasyBooks oh thanks so much. Means so much coming from you!
I'm so stoked I found this channel. Dont see this kind of passion for reading much anymore. Great list!
Wow thanks so much. Made our week with this!
I'll have to watch the other list video. Middlegame and Invisible Life are some of my all-time favorites. @@Talking_Story
@ oh those are so good! Love the language of Schwab. She has a new 1 coming in 25.
@@Talking_Story more for my TBR list.
Good vibes. I like the back and forth and the list is pretty solid list 👌
Thanks so much!
Okay when you were talking about David Liss you caught me... "there are living trees..." you mean trees live? I swear they were zombies. 😂
Always a lovely time being here seeing you share your reading life with all of us. You two are such a wonderful touch to the week, you are appreciated by all of us. I look forward to many more years of this. Keep up the fun please.
@@tallaaron1115 thanks so much for that. So get this. The lead character in this book is slowly transforming from human to tree. Cmon now that’s good stuff!
@@Talking_Story Okay, you sold me. I will pick that book up and make sure to read it. That has not been on my list until now.
@ there is a really good interview with him on the channel. Such an awesome guy
Great video Standalone fantasies I would really love to pick up more of them. I read Johnathan Strange and Mr Norrell this year and loved it, the one uppmanship, the world and how well she did the victorian style of writing it was a really great read and some of the footnotes were ridonkulous!
@@RhysWritings I always say with that 1 don’t skip the footnotes. So worth it!
@Talking_Story they really do add a lot to the lore! I would also recommend the Johnathan Strange TV series that BBC did. they did a really good job (they didn't finish the book sadly) but I enjoyed it!
@@RhysWritings I have watched that and agree. It was a strong adaptation
So I found this channel about 2 months ago and let me just tell you guys that you're such a treasure! Love the enthusiasm and the vim behind every thing that you guys do, as its, genuinely, a talking story lol! Keep up the great work 👊🏾😎
Wow you are so wonderful what a comment to start our day. Can’t thank you enough!
Great list! Your GGK rule is a smart one: in just thinking through my top 10, I think 4 of them would be by Kay!
@@RedFuryBooks after 1 read I could already see where this list would be going
I could watch you agonizing over your top 10 lists all day every day hahaha. Truly amazing list again, I love that this is gonna become a yearly tradition! Also, with the way you talk about Addie LaRue, I think you would also really love A Love Song For Ricki Wilde by Tia Williams. Absolutely one of my top reads of the year, such a powerful story 🤩
@@esmayrosalyne thanks Esmay I will check that out for sure.
What an absolute rollercoaster ride to see the changes from last years. Great list with a bunch I need to hit. I still have no GGK or Susanna Clarke under my belt 🤦🏻♂️
@@Chance.Dillon you are are in for some treats!!
Nice list, some I may need to check out. I have GGK's Tigana up soon, will be my first by him. I think Babel would definitely be in my top 10.
@@francoisdeclercq1360 I do want to get to Babel. I think Lions is my next GGK
@@francoisdeclercq1360 love Tigana and my favorite so far is Ysabel 😍
@@ithrahmunchswallow468 I'm just over half way through Tigana, really enjoying it. I will likely get round to more GGK in the future, will add Ysabel to my tbr :)
I love that you have a GGK rule after reading one book. I read four GGK books this year. My favorites are Under Heaven and The Lions of Al-Rassan. I can’t wait to read A Song for Arbonne.
@@JeffreyFitzpatrick-o5i my next GGK read will be Lions. Let me know how Song for Arbonne hits for you
I was actually planning on going to the bookstore after work to pick up Jonathan Strange and Mr. Norell after work today. Been on my tbr for awhile and am looking to start it very soon. Can't wait. Just finished Warbreaker over the weekend and really enjoyed it. Love the content brother
@@word2yermutha thanks so much. You gotta let me know how strange and morel hit for you!
This would be a hard list for me to make but this video is a great resource for some standalones!
@@TomOrange thanks!
NICE! 'A Song for Arbonne' is definitely my favorite GGK. Also, have you read Neil Gaiman's 'Death: The High Cost of Living' ? For sure my all time favorite comic series. Thanks John & Jakob!
I have read all the Sandman and related series. Some of my all time favs!
You have made me want to read GGK, Jonathon Strange, Addie Larue, and Janny Wurts. I adore The Hobbit!! I plan on reading A Midsummers night dream with my kids in the spring.
@@caewing85 such a fun show! Hope you and the kids love it!
Great video John! I knew that GGK would hit the list somewhere. I need to read more from him, and also need to read Jonathan Strange. I’ve been putting it off lol.
@@BookishChas oh Chas I think you will dig that 1!
Arbonne! 🤩🙌
Yeah, the GGK rule is necessary, in deed! Having two-three of his books each year so far, has been natural highlights to look forward to each year for me! 😅
Also, still waiting for that call for the live-read by you and me, John, as Blaise & Bertran chasing sheep in the mountains. respectively! 😄(I jest, but totally down for it if you wanted to! 😁)
Cheers Mintons!
@@MacScarfield oh man I love that scene!
I've been wanting to read Jonathan Strange and Mr. Norrell for a while now and I actually pre-ordered it recently in a beautiful hardback edition, can't wait! American Gods was phenomenal!
@@unlimitedreads I just ordered her new novella. Looking forward to it.
Such a great video, a top 10 books you read in 2024 at the end of the year would be awesome
@@dayman360 no worries that will hit January when the year is over. I still got some that could make the list!
Great list John I have the Lions of El-Rassan on my shelf. I need to start it soon.
I wanna get to that 1 asap
One of GGKs very best. Enjoy.
Do I spy Farseer illustrated editions on the right? Very nice indeed.
@@Dio_land u do!
Hey J&J! This is a great resource for me to save if/when I want some standalone books. I'm only 200 pages into Way of Kings, so it may be QUITE a while until I'm done with the Stormlight Archives! LOL
John - be NICE to Jakob! He's a saint for handling all of your technology!
Thanks for the video, gents!
@@TedReadInstead Jakob is a saint it’s true
I remember adding A Song for Arbonne to my tbr back when you first read it but I haven't gotten around to it. GGK and Neil Gaiman are two authors that I've seen crash people's top lists so they are definitely on my tbr now. As the guy who's been reading LotR for the first time for the past month, I completely agree. My resident LotR buff in my life recommended I read The Hobbit last (I'm not sure what his reasons are, but I listened) and I completely agree with everything you said. I never realized what Tolkien accomplished with that world and I finally understand why what he did is the absolute pinnacle of fantasy. Middle Earth truly feels unbeatable compared to what else I've read
@@DecidedPanda magic lives in middle Earth and if you read them at the right time that magic can bleed through to our reality no doubt.
@@Talking_Story You are so right. Every time I pick up those books I feel transported to another world, even if I can only read it for 15-20 minutes (like on my breaks at work lol)
@@DecidedPanda what a great way to make a workday better I love it!
@@Talking_Story For sure! I started reading on my breaks about two months ago and I can never go back!
@@DecidedPanda amazing! I do the same.
This is one of the most diverse Top 10 I’ve seen. Song of Arbonne is absolutely amazing and definitely one of my favorite reads of 2024. My top 3 standalones would be The Stand by Stephen King, The Martian by Andy Weir, and Kindred by Octavia Butler.
@@KindlesandKicks oh man Butler she is sooooo amazing!
Great to have a list of amazing standalones if you need a break from any series. I will need to read To Ride Hell’s Chasm before Jannyuary.
@@Broon88 it is a great 1
Clive Barkers Weaveworld is good, but have you read his book Imajica? That is also a standalone in the UK, but split into 2 books in the US.
@@trevormossop I have read it. It is awesome. May have to swap out with Weaveworld next time. I always forget it is a stand alone!
@@Talking_Storythinking about it now, has just inspired me to buy it on audible.
@@trevormossop made me pull my copy off the shelf last night. UK first signed by the man himself!
Yeah Guy Gavriel Kay would be on my list - but I am not sure which book.
I would also include Little Big by John Crowley, The Dragon Waiting by John M. Ford, Strandloper by Alan Garner, and something by Graham Joyce - probably his The Facts Of Life (but they are all worth reading).
Oh thanks I am looking all of these!
Little, Big is like reading a dream!!!
Dragon Waiting is wonderful, and too little-read!
I haven’t yet read Graham Joyce but I’d like to.
@ Little Big going on the list right now!
@ it’s a good one-I chose my MA thesis topic just so I could write about Little, Big. Similar to how JS&MN drove me to write my dissertation about alternate history fantasies.
I stand by those two, and everything else I listed in my initial comment :)
@@paulwilliams6913 wow very high praise indeed!
I made the list!
Loved this book!
A good list! Though you put my number 1 at number 2! That said, I’ll take it. It’s kind of awkward doing a list like this for me, because my favorite fantasy novel is a standalone. So I’ll recommend some random standalone fantasies here:
The Changeling
Hollow
Horns
@@someokiedude9549 I will look into the other Hollows the other 2 are great.
I understand why it fell off, but I did love Seanan's Middlegame. And you know Schwab is one of my holy grail's ;) Looking forward to next year's top ten list :D
I have book 2 to Middlegame now. I gotta get to it.
@@Talking_Story Me too.. it's languishing in my TBR pile... there's just so many good books to read (headbang) - I think we both need that whole vampire thing to live long enough to read all the books :D
@@gryftkin we most assuredly do!
Wonderful list! I’m not at all surprised A Song for Arbonne made it so high. While A Song one is my favorite, you’ve got to read Lions of Al-Rassan! Thanks for making me want to reread The Hobbit. 🧝🏼♀️
Lions is up
Next for me!
10. The wizards first rule - Terry Goodkind
9. Howling Dark - Christopher Ruocchio
8. The Eye of the World - Robert Jordan
7. The Lonesome Crown - Brian Lee Durfee
6. The Blade Itself - Joe Abercrombie
5. The Fifth Season - N K Jemisin
4. Name of the Wind - Patrick Rothfuss
3. Dune - Frank Herbert
2. Fahrenheit 451 - Ray Bradbury
1. Imajica - Clive Barker
1 and 2 are interchangeable
@@dmbfreak123 wow that is an amazing list!!
@@Talking_Story Thank you! Yours was awesome, thank you for sharing. I am currently reading Tigana by Kay, it may contend for top spots on my list. After that I am going to read A Song For Arbonne.
@ I hear great things about Tigana. Let me know how Song for Arbonne hits you.
Loved Wizards first rule😊
Love these videos ♥
Thanks so much!
Love this vid! My list changes day to day tbh. My Sanderson choice would be Tress and I need to give Jonathan strange and Mr Norrell another shot. I’ve been thinking about it anyways.
By this video really made me realize I’m such a series sucker. I need to read more standalone stuff!
Series sucker. Yes I suffer from that😂😂
Oh, I was recommended Hamlet and Othelo when I was very young, and I read a translation but damn they were good! LaRue I honestly did not like it at all, but that's reading--incredibly subjective. American Gods is just sooooo good; what an incredible book, loved it. I think I need to re-read it though. There are two other books in that universe but it works pretty much as a standalone.
I'm curious, mildly related but have you read Rejoice by Steven Erikson? It's a standalone as well. Super keen on hearing your thoughts!
@@liviajelliot I will look up Rejoice and add it to the list. Starting with Hamlet and Othello. Wow! LaRue is not for all but it hits my love of pretty language, examination of immortality and what that does to our humanity and my romantic heart. What can I say
@@Talking_Story Hope you enjoy Rejoice! So eager to hear your thoughts on it if you get to it! The book full name is "Rejoice: A Knife to the Heart". Same author as Malazan, but it's definitely *not* Malazan in the space.
@@liviajelliot I have added
It to the list!
Gentles do not reprehend: If you pardon, we will mend ❤❤
Addie is on the list.
Weave-world, Peculiarities 🤔
Hell's Chasm 😕
I have to read both Clarke's 😳
❤❤GGK
I have some top 10 lists planned before the end of the year 🤪
Love your list 🎉
@@ithrahmunchswallow468 thanks. Can’t wait to see yours!
I haven't read Song for Arbonne, but if you like Kay you need to read Tigana immediately, it's simply the most beautiful fantasy novel I have read
@@nullispointer that is on my shelf!
@@Talking_Story I am excited for you! I'd give at least two of my least favourite toes to experience it for the first time again.
@ 😂
John, you really need to read The Sword of Kaigen and then rethink about the top of your list! ❤
@@elaineirving77 that is happening in 25!
Brother! Man I have thoughts on this list! More importantly, big shout out to Jakob for titling this video in a very non-clickbait way. "MY TOP 10" is very different IMO than "TOP 10". I can't tell you how much I appreciate this approach. But you already know that. I hatessess it :)
@@BrianBell7 no way have I read enough to be any kind of authority. This is just an update on how my favs are changing and changing me on this reading journey.
@@Talking_Story 100%
To no one’s surprise, The Pointy Stick Book (a.k.a. The Spear Cuts Through Water) by Simon Jimenez tops my list of favorite standalone fantasy books. Haha!
The rest of the list:
2) Cloven Hooves by Megan Lindholm
3) Jonathan Strange & Mr. Norrell by Susanna Clarke
4) The Stone Boatmen by Sarah Tolmie
5) Lapvona by Ottessa Moshfegh
6) A Brightness Long Ago by Guy Gavriel Kay
7) The Folding Knife by K. J. Parker
8) The Starless Sea by Erin Morgenstern
9) The Forest of Enchantments by Chitra Banerjee Divakaruni
@@SheWasOnlyEvie wow cloven hives at 2 I gotta get to that 1 soon!
Y’all have some tshirts? I’d be interested in one.
@@LetItBe16 there are plans in the works.
Great list John!
@@NevsBookChannel thanks Nev!
Hey John… i recommend a Greg Bear Duology - Songs of Earth and Power Omnibus (Portal Fantasy) Book 1 The Infinity Concerto Book 2 The Serpent Mage
@@eddiec2711 I will look that up right now!
I loved the list update, I haven't read many standalones, I would put Susanna Clarke twice like last year, Pan's Labyrinth, Anansi Boys, Elantris. I can't wait to read some GGK, read the sample of song for Arbonne and I would put on my list just because of the prologue 😂
Yessss that prologue! Elantris is not gonna be a stand alone much longer.
I love Warbreaker so much. It honestly may even top stormlight for me. That magic system is so good, so many twists and turns with an amazing payoff, and I think Lightsong is the best character Sanderson has ever written. And I gotta jump into some GGK and Susanna Clarke next year!
You gotta let me know how both those hit you!
@Talking_Story Oh Definitely! I'm probably gonna get Jonathan Strange and Mr. Norrell in sometime in January or February.
#10….
If I didn’t like one I the book on your list I’d love you for this.
@@susantownsend8397 glad we both have love for the bard!
Stand alone Fantasy is hard to come by. My list would also include The Hobbit and Jonathan Strange & Mr Norrell. and my Neil Gaiman would be Neverwhere. I would also have Spindles End by Robin McKinley, Confessions of an Ugly Stepsister by Gregory Maguire, Heartless by Marissa Meyer, Spinning Silver by Naomi Novak, Gods of Jade and Shadow by Silvia Moreno-Garcia, and both The Night Circus and The Starless Sea by Erin Morgenstern. I don't necessarily recommend them to others though. They just speak strongly to me.
@@TheJellicle1 Indo like some Night Circus and Starless Sea! Gonna look up these others thanks!
Love The Hobbit! Favorite book to collect different editions of.
It is such a special story to me. Only have the 1 edition though.
I'm a bit sad that Sanderson didn't talk about bringing back Warbreaker along with Elantris.
Got To Ride Hells Chasm and a couple GGK books on the ever growing list 😂
@@mrgoodkat8448 we are getting more of some of those characters though
@Talking_Story absolutely, really excited to see the cosmere coming together. There's a little Easter egg to look out for in Rhythm of War too
@@mrgoodkat8448 ohhhh I will keep my eyes peeled!
I will definitely be checking these out, thank you for this list!
I don't think I've read enough standalones to make a top 10, so I'll do a top 5. And reading one of your list right now, I expect this will change soon.
5. Revival, by Stephen King
4. Sweet Bean Paste, by Durian Sukegawa
3. This Is How You Lose The Time War, by Amal El-Mohtar and Max Gladstone
2. Piranesi, by Susanna Clarke
1. The Thousand Autumns of Jacob de Zoet, by David Mitchell
@@groofay I love that number 1 my friend!
@@Talking_Story I have to tell you, it's shot up to one of my favorite novels I've ever read.
@@groofay awesome!
I've read most of GGK's bibliography at this point and consider him a favourite author but I'm struggling with A Song for Arbonne 😅
@@thatsci-firogue wow that tells me his other stuff must be off the chart!!
I'd never heard of him until a few weeks ago when Splintered Light channel recommended Song of Arbonne to me. I struggled through the prologue and nearly gave up. But I am really enjoying it now. It seems almost as epic as Ken Follett's Pillars of the Earth, which is my all time favourite.
@@GrahamDixonUK takes a bit to sink in I get it but let me know how that ending hits you.
@@GrahamDixonUK I need to restart Pillars of the Earth but Sarantine Mosaic (Also by GGK) gets compared A LOT to PotE.
@@Talking_Story I'm only a little over a third in so maybe after my current read I'll get back to it. I couldn't help myself and just kept going with Memory Sorrow & Thorn. Should be finished that in a few days.
That's a really great list!
@@OnlyTheBestFantasyNovels thank you my friend!
Moonheart by Charles de Lint. Don't see him on lists but he has been writing Urban Fantasy for years.
@@ceilhook4135 thanks. I will add that to the list right now!
@@Talking_Story de Lint is good (very good at his best). He is also prolific and quite a few of his books are YA.
@ ahhh I add Moonheart to my list.
@@Talking_Story An ever-growing list that will keep you busy for years 🙂
@@andyleighton3616 never gonna run out such a wonderful problem!
Great video fellas
@@BradySpiker thanks so much!
Any recommendations for standalone fantasies that are on the shorter side like 300 or so less pages? My TBR is filled with far too many 600+ page books these days and I'd like to find some interesting novels on the shorter side to fit in in-between the larger books.
@@word2yermutha Piranesi is great and short. I like the Dresden Files as in betweeners as well. The Peculiarities is right around 300 pages too.
@@Talking_Story Awesome thanks for the recs. Been considering getting into the Dresden files and using those for inbetweeners is a great idea. Especially with how many there are so it could be a good way to make some consistent progress through the series.
@ yes! I think the series starts to take off at Summer Knight.
The Dragon Waiting by John M. Ford which I mentioned is good and just over 300 pages. Weaves real history, vampirism, magic and more. Note there are no real dragons in the book - so don't expect a book with dragons.
A lot of Graham Joyce's work is 300 pages or less and is all standalone.
Maybe Emma Bull's Territory would work for you - which is a weird western.
@@andyleighton3616 I am looking these up!
I haven't read most of the books on your list, but I thought for sure I would see The Sword Of Kaigen on your list.
@@mattamant915 that 1 is coming up in early 25
@Talking_Story OOOOHHHHHH...OK
I thought you already read it.
@ on the shelf. Coming soon!
@Talking_Story then I will be anxiously awaiting next year's list 🤣😅
@ me too!
i was going to say your list was refreshing without the high fantasy popular books like Sanderson, Tolkein and Robert Jordan, but then you got the Hobbit, warbreaker, etc. For the most part your list is very unique as to what is the popular booktube fantasy lists. its usually all Joe Abercrombie, Robert Jordan, Stephen King, Tolkein and Brandon Sanderson,.
@@Rumham7291 I try to spread my reading around from the popular to not so much. Trying to catch up with fantasy as I have really been a horror fan for so much of my life. So names like Abercrombie and Sanderson were completely unknown to me a year and a half ago when I started this channel to broaden my reading.
@@Talking_Story they make you feel major FOMO if you dont read like stormlight archive and i read way of kings and it didnt blow my mind or anything, same with wheel of time. Im reading fellowship of the ring right now and I can get why it gets the praise it does.
@ I am about 6 books into WoT and I am having a hard time going back too. I say find the story that speaks to you. Life is too short to read anything that doesn’t move you. I have found somethings that I can’t get into become favs as I get older. You never know.
Have all of these - save the Peculiarities which I have never heard of - but need to read them, and we share 2 (though it was 3):
10 Peter Pan - James Barrie
9 Coraline - Neil Gaiman (Have yet to read most of Gaiman, but I was enchantingly disturbed)
8 Something Wicked This Way Comes - Ray Bradbury.
7 WeaveWorld - Clive Barker
6 Pan's Labyrinth - (there's a novelization of the movie by Cornella Funke that's wonderful)
5 Piranesi - Susanna Clarke
4 the Last Unicorn - Peter S. Beagle
3 The Wizard of Earthsea - Ursula K. Le Guin
2 the Neverending Story - Michael Ende
1 The Silmarillion - JRR Tolkien, Christopher Tolkien and Guy Gavriel Kay. I can't prove it, but I think It'd work on it's own for one determined, though some might want to stop short of the last section to not spoil tLotR. Course I adore the Hobbit too, and for much longer, and would have it hear if I wasn't limiting to one author spot.
@@MagusMarquillin something wicked!! Yes!! I would classify it as horror but soooo damn good!!
@@Talking_Story True, but Coraline, Pan's Labyrinth and Weaveworld are also Fantasy/Horror, like so much of horror is - otherwise the genre would maily be about serial killers.
@@MagusMarquillin that is a very good and interesting take on it. I will have to put some thought in for my list going forward!
@@Talking_Story Uh oh, don't over think it (sorry Jacob🤭)! You've also read more standalones , which perhaps doesn't make your list easier, but it's easier to think of things that lean into high fantasy more, my list is maybe more in the fringe of that Huge genre umbrella. When you aim for top ten in the fuzzy genre of fantasy, there's no holds _"bard"_ eh Shakespeare? 🥸😄
@@MagusMarquillin ahhhhh I see what you did there. Nice!
Really enjoyed Weaveworld, but much prefer Mr Barker’s Imajica as his most brilliant work of fantasy. Haven’t stopped thinking about it since reading it in February
@@tannersturgeon2448 that is a standalone isn’t it? May have to really reconsider next year. I always think of the 2 series I am waiting for books from him. Book of the Art and Abarat.
@ yes it’s a beefy standalone (800 pages of small font in my trade paperback) but well worth your time. The theme of reconciliation laden throughout the novel should speak to all of us
@ I’ve have read it. Been years and years. Actually stood in line and got a signed copy.
@ oh that’s phenomenal! He seems like such a fascinating fellow. You’re my reading idol, John.
@ oh you are so nice. Thank you’
#1, yes
@@LiamsLyceum right?!
My wallet is scared of this channel whenever a video like this drops 😂
I hope we didn’t take too much of a bite out of the wallet 😂
Does American Gods count as a standalone? Given Anansi Boys?
@@groofay I think it does. It stands on its own where I would say Anansi needs American Gods for context. In the same world but American Gods works as a stand alone IMO.
@@Talking_Story Okay, I'll respect that. For the record, I've read Anansi Boys but not American Gods, and I think it stands by itself. As for when I'll read American Gods...I don't know. I have a harder time separating art from artist.
@ totally get it. I really do.
Oh I needed this!!
@@dannyjorde2677 thanks! Hope you enjoy!
Wait was the hellfire club real I thought it was just an X-men villain
@@FaTaLsOlDiEr04 very much real 18th century group of occultists in Great Britain.
Agreed with The Hobbit. It's a masterpiece.
@@Zivilin yesss!!
i love the banter
Thanks so much!
Love Weave World, it's a bit higher on my list.
@@Crochet.Awhile.and.Listen I am such a fan of his. I for sure get it slotting in higher.
@@Crochet.Awhile.and.Listen what is your number 1?
@@Talking_Story I am old school, as much as I am enjoying my re-read of Stormlight Archies right now, I'd have to say my favorite standalone is Mercedes Lackey - Sacred ground. I don't read many standalones, I like large series. more.
@@Crochet.Awhile.and.Listen never tries Lackey I am adding that 1 to the list. Thanks!
My n1 standalone is Best Served Cold - which is debatably cheating.
But almost all my fav books are either series or standalones but not fantasy :o
@@Corlwow I’ll allow it cause it is soooo damn good my friend!
Yes, Jonathan Strange...!
Just awesome right?!
Yes GGK for the win!!!
@@jayremaerevilla-lacandula730 gonna grab Lions next!
@ lions of al rassan is the best for me by far! Bec of this vid will get back to a ggk marathon 😂 loved tigana and the sarantine mosaic too
@ he just blew me away. Can’t wait to get back to him!
Love the GGK LOVE ❤
@@dubhmoore575 had to create a rule for that talented dude!
I have a strang sense of humor, if you haven't noticed. It was so funny watching the big stack of books jiggle when you moved at your desk. Don't ask me why. I like that best medicine stuff and try to whip up some laughter whenever I can.
@@momo_genX gotta go with what works for u
For my own sanity I will just have to assume you haven't read Between Two Fires by Christopher Buehlman.
@@tukkerintensity5575 I have not but it is on the stack. I have read Lesser Dead and Blacktongue Thief by him so far. Thanks for this. It is gonna move it up the TBR!
@Talking_Story awesome! for some reason it is 10x better than his other books....so good. Great list you have here. I added some suggestions to my TBR!
@@tukkerintensity5575 awesome and you have moved this 1 up the TBR for sure thanks again!
I agree, Shakespeare is good but VE Schwab is better!
@@arekkrolak6320 I put MidSummer at 10
due to it being a different medium and it is hard to compare contemporary novels with performance pieces in iambic pentameter for the most part. But it just has to go on my list or I am not being me.
Publishers should be seeking you out for marketing 😂😂 you sell me on books many bookttubers have recommended but never sounded so good as when you describe
@@jakecantbake thanks you are very kind
Warbreaker at #5 makes me not trust anything else on this list! Not even close to the best Sanderson, who should not really be on anyone's top 10 with any of his books.
@@tedhekman what I love about art and letters they all hit us so differently. I always celebrate that. What would some of your favs be?
@@Talking_Story You're totally right man! Sorry, I just enjoy being a grimy internet troll over Sanderson's success from time to time. :) Piranesi and the Hobbit would be on my top 10 for sure, and if you like Kay as much as you seem to (yay!) then you should also take a look at A Spear Cuts Through Water. I'm surprised Boy's Life didn't make the cut! Thanks for being positive and cutting through my trollishness. :)
Another new top 10 standalone for me this year was The Bright Sword by Lev Grossman.
@ no worries man. We share so much of the same taste. I athe biggest McCammon fan boy. I have read everything of his. Boys Life was called out for not being on my list. Didn’t consider it fantasy but maybe I need to reconsider. Could crash the list next year. GGK totally blew my hair back. Next up for me is lions.
@ been eyeing that. Love Arthurian stuff! I will put it on the list.
GGK lions of al rassan is goated 🐐🤝 … whoever see this comment read it and thank me later
@@golovkinko1145 that is my next GGK read!
Now I have read very little standalones in general. It never feels like I've spent enough time with the world.
But even still I'll list a few:
Helsreach by Aaron Dembski Bowden (40K). A brutal showcasing of how fighting for, and believing, in a common uniting cause could in the end amount to nothing, even after all the bloodshed and death, it was all for nothing.
Alpharius: Head of the Hydra by Mike Brooks (40K). The universes greatest liar written from a first person perspective. By the end of it you do not know if what you read was all a lie or only partially or if it was all true. An actually fantastic novella.
Tress of the Emerald Sea by Brandon Sanderson. You know I think I can get away with just saying that it was just magical. Possibly even beautiful in a sense.
Aaaaaand that's it. 😂
As for your list, I've only read 2 of them. That being The Hobbit and Warbreaker.
The Hobbit to me so often felt like . . . . it lacked in everything besides prose. I love the beginning with the Shire and the company being formed, but the rest just wasn't interesting enough really. Maybe it's because I read it for the first time this year, at the tender age of 20, but honestly, at points I do think the movies are just better. Specifically everything in Erebor and Smaug. I could listen and watch Benedict Cumberbatch as Smaug forever.
As for Warbreaker, I was constantly waiting for something big to happen but it never felt like it did. About the only character I ended up caring for by then was Lightsong aaaaand that's about it. It just didn't grab my interest at any point strongly.
I did really like Lightsong! I think having read the Hobbit at juts the right moment in my life weighs on it being my number 1 of course.
You mean the Hobbit isnt a trilogy like the movies? Sorry, the are making the rounds on tv again and are just painful to watch.
@@EricMcLuen I have stayed away. Have a soft spot in my heart for the old cartoon with the voice of Orson Beane as Bilbo.
Not as painful as rings of power. 😂
@ 😂very true
@@Talking_Story Where's there a whip, there's a way.
Now that that song will be stuck in your head for the day.....
Ot perhaps Tom Lehrer's Masochism Tango.
@ nice!! Yes ear worm has been installed😂
The assistant sounds like he is trying to make love to the microphone! The high energy book descriptions are fun and engaging, and then a soft, seductive fake voice comes over. Ehhh. I don't know. Turned me off. Two guys talking books, cool. One guy talking books and the other guy sounding like he's hiding in the closet talking to his side piece is a weird back and forth.
@@aggressivehandshakes8059 never heard Jakob’s voice described like that. Pretty funny. I can promise you from hearing my kids voice all his life he is not putting it on. That is just the way he sounds.
Blah, blah...talk about over reacting.
@@brickbreaker8148 thanks for checking out the vid
The fact that John kept Shakespeare on the list shows he’s a true classy man. 🫡
Thank you my friend.