This video appeared on my RUclips feed. I’ve got an MA in fantasy lit, so sure, I’ll drop a few names: Little, Big (John Crowley) - most gorgeously written novel I’ve read! Mythago Wood (Robert Holdstock) - wrote my first academic article about this series Jonathan Strange and Mr. Norrell (Susanna Clarke) - just plain delightful to read; Gaiman says it’s the best British fantasy novel since Lud-in-the-Mist :) A Wizard of Earthsea (Ursula K. Le Guin) - perfection! Book of the New Sun (Gene Wolfe) - super difficult, but fascinating
Other than Little, Big those are all pretty famous books. Mythago Wood was a bit too weird for my tastes. Earthsea is one of the most famous classic Fantasy books out there and I found Jonathan Strange and Mr. Norrell hard to read.
I recommend Brave Story, The Twelve Kingdoms, and Moribito. I think just about anyone that enjoys Garrett's work would enjoy them, especially The Twelve Kingdoms.
Have to say that both American Gods and Neverwhere by Neil Gaiman are quite underrated, especially in the fantasy community. Personally, American Gods is one of the best books I've ever read.
Dragonsbane by Barbara Hambly is an absolutely amazing book everyone should read. Also, Forgotten Beasts of Eld by Patricia McKillip, and the Deed of Paksenarrion by Elizabeth Moon.
@@GarrettRobinson I read her years ago and her first couple books where amazing. The issue is that the story loses focus and drops off hard after the first 3-4 books and when the series is up in the 15 book range, it's hard to hold an audience. Many Long series have this issue. WoT, Recluse, Goodkind, Drake, Runelords, Donaldson and even GoT. They just go on too long and lose that crisp focus no matter how great they may have started. Try Tad Williams Otherland and Wizard of Earthsea.
I'd like to recommend The Horse Lord by Peter Morwood. It's an amazing series set in a world that mixes Celtic and Japanese culture and has the main character as, essentially, a ronin seeking to avenge his family. Along the way he learns magic from a crotchety old wizard and faces off against hugely evil enemies. It might be tricky to find the first four books as The Warlord's Domain isn't on Kindle but perhaps the new publisher will put it up soon.
My TBR just got bigger. One of my favorite fantasy series is THE INCARNATIONS OF IMMORTALITY by Piers Anthony. It starts with On A Pale Horse, and each book chronicles a different person who becomes an incarnation of reality: Death, Time, War, etc.
I don't read many obscure titles (none at all, really). However, Six of Crows is on my all-time fav list and, while it's a popular title, male readers tend to steer away from it. It's young adult, epic fantasy that does nearly everything right.
Commenting on this mostly so I can remind myself that the recommendations on this video exist, but also I'll throw out a couple recommendations of my own. The Long Ships by Frans G. Bengtsson Lud-in-the-Mist by Hope Mirrlees And while the author may be better known on this one, the book is tragically under read: A Night in Lonesome October by Roger Zelazny.
Also, currently reading Siege Tactics, which is Book 4 of Drew Hayes' Spells, Swords and Stealth series. They are brilliant. You've got to start with Book 1, though: NPCs.
Some of those books sound simply incredible! Added them to my wishlist. :D Thanks for the tips. One of my all time favs - that none of the people I've mentioned it to has heard of before - is the Lon Tobyn Chronicle by David B. Coe. The first book, Children of Amarid, blew me away. It's been a while since I last re-read it... I don't remember the writing being super impressive in itself. But the characters are great. There is mystery, adventure and a very, very cool magic system. And one of those revelations that stuck with me and I sometimes still think about. :) Highly entertaining read.
I lovse the Wheel of Time by Robert Jordan and I feel like not enough younger audiences know about the books which sucks. Also, the Stormlight Archive by Brandon Sanderson is damn good. If you haven't, please please read it. None of these are unheard of but I still feel like not enough people read them because of the amount of books (wot) or the size of the books (stormlight). Honestly, both are so worth it. Ps . random fact: Brandon Sanderson is releasing a book called Legion and I am so ready. Tor.com released a snippet.
You know, I actually didn't care for the Wheel of Time. I liked the early books, but he lost me around book five. I'll get back to it one day, but my current reading list is long enough. I haven't read the Stormlight Archive, though I've received about a billion recommendations for it. I loved the Mistborn trilogy, so Stormlight is high on my "want to read" list. Can't wait for Legion! Feel free to come back and tell me what you thought about it-I'm sure I'll discuss it on the channel at some point.
I think that the middle books of WOT were the rocky parts, the first few were good and the last three or four were absolutely PHENOMENAL. But yes, I get what you mean (I myself put down the series for some time at book 6 before I kept going). Stormlight, in my humble opinion, is definitely Brandon Sanderson's best series. So much amazing world building and character development, incredible magic systems and those hit-hard character moments ahh. Amazing stuff, definitely.
Did just have youtube search about Deverry Cycle aka Katharina Kerr's books and this video did pop up... Never actually heard of you, might actually ad yours to me books to read list..? Also how about Raymond E. Feist's Riftwar Cycle for modern readers? that one is damn epic shit, but nowadays almoust forgotten... Btw, if you mind, small synopsis etc of your books, pretty please? ;)
I will definitely look into your list and those in the comments. I was wanting to ask your thoughts on old series I liked as a teenager (way back right after the invention of the wheel), the Spellsinger series by Alan Dean Foster. I found the characters to entertaining and believable. The main character being pulled into the story and his development through the first 2 books was quiet humorous and the magic system not being spelled out worked as the protagonist had no idea how it worked either. After a re-read 20 years later I found the writing to be not as descriptive or elaborate as the authors I read today (Sanderson, Hobb, and Rothfuss), but it was just as entertaining. Curious of your thoughts.
You know, I remember reading those books when I was younger, but I don't remember ANYTHING about them. I have vaguely pleasant memories, but that's it. :-D
Michael J Sullivan's Riyria chronicles and revelations are a fun enjoyable read. 2 thieves stealing things, getting involved in politics and discovering they're more important than they think. The banter between the good-guy thieves made this one fun. Of brandon sanderson's works i enjoyed Elantris most - though all his books are great (stormlight is a little depressing for my taste - main character beaten down too often, makes me think i'm reading robin hobb) Wheel Of Time, for all its frustrations remains my favorite though. The story and world are great, and most importantly - the magic system is unparalleled. the weaves, world of dreams powers, sidin/sider/true power - it makes for multiple super powerful characters that where power can be easily quantified and the reader knows why they can't solve all their problems by waving a hand.
Never heard of any of these, I’ll look more into some. Of lesser knowns I can recommend the Chaos Queen Quintet by Christopher Husberg; the Witchy War series by DJ Butler; and Unwilling Souls by Gregory Little
Awrite, looks like my TBR-list just got longer. Maybe not really obscure,but I always find too few people have actually read the Silmarillion and too few have heard of the Watch-Tetralogy by Sergey Lukianenko.
Nothing to thank me for! Especially not since making me aware of two potential favourites :-) I don't know how good the English translations are and there are several transcriptions of the author's name, but I'm sure you'll find it. The first volume is Night-Watch :-) Hope you'll love it as much as I do!
Garrett Robinson it does,try finding them at the library and check them out,there are 6 books in the series including the spin off/prequel trilogy called the spirits and thieves series
I read the first 60 pages of The Talisman and it was a pretty slow start. I had to the put the book down. I'll get back to it and try to finish it soon.
Read the first 8 books of the Deverry series in the mid 90's found them all dirt cheap in a used book store haven't read the rest, the slight NTR vibe in the story put me off to be honest.
Finally someone who at least heard of Katharina Kerr's books! Please do read the rest, it only gets better from here on, i promise :D
They're on the list!
I love the Riddle Master trilogy. No one ever knows about it.
This video appeared on my RUclips feed. I’ve got an MA in fantasy lit, so sure, I’ll drop a few names:
Little, Big (John Crowley) - most gorgeously written novel I’ve read!
Mythago Wood (Robert Holdstock) - wrote my first academic article about this series
Jonathan Strange and Mr. Norrell (Susanna Clarke) - just plain delightful to read; Gaiman says it’s the best British fantasy novel since Lud-in-the-Mist :)
A Wizard of Earthsea (Ursula K. Le Guin) - perfection!
Book of the New Sun (Gene Wolfe) - super difficult, but fascinating
Other than Little, Big those are all pretty famous books. Mythago Wood was a bit too weird for my tastes. Earthsea is one of the most famous classic Fantasy books out there and I found Jonathan Strange and Mr. Norrell hard to read.
Little, Big is such a great book. It had such an impact on me when i first read it. the audiobook read by John Crowley is really good too.
I recommend Brave Story, The Twelve Kingdoms, and Moribito. I think just about anyone that enjoys Garrett's work would enjoy them, especially The Twelve Kingdoms.
Have to say that both American Gods and Neverwhere by Neil Gaiman are quite underrated, especially in the fantasy community. Personally, American Gods is one of the best books I've ever read.
I love the heck out of those books.
They are amazing! I liked Neverwhere more though. Anyway, both are great!
I didn’t really enjoy American Gods all that much. But Neverwhere was something else
I didn’t really enjoy American Gods all that much. But Neverwhere was something else
Dragonsbane by Barbara Hambly is an absolutely amazing book everyone should read. Also, Forgotten Beasts of Eld by Patricia McKillip, and the Deed of Paksenarrion by Elizabeth Moon.
PAKSENARRION IS AMAZING. I've never heard of these others, though! Thank you so much.
Glad to see Daggerspell from the Deverry Cycle get some recognition, i remember reading that years ago and really liking them
I have been a huge fan of Kerr since the early 90s. Can’t believe she is not way, way more popular.
RIGHT???
Me too!!! That is my favorite series ever and almost no one seems to know about it. It's a shame, really!
@@GarrettRobinson I read her years ago and her first couple books where amazing. The issue is that the story loses focus and drops off hard after the first 3-4 books and when the series is up in the 15 book range, it's hard to hold an audience. Many Long series have this issue. WoT, Recluse, Goodkind, Drake, Runelords, Donaldson and even GoT. They just go on too long and lose that crisp focus no matter how great they may have started. Try Tad Williams Otherland and Wizard of Earthsea.
I'd like to recommend The Horse Lord by Peter Morwood. It's an amazing series set in a world that mixes Celtic and Japanese culture and has the main character as, essentially, a ronin seeking to avenge his family. Along the way he learns magic from a crotchety old wizard and faces off against hugely evil enemies. It might be tricky to find the first four books as The Warlord's Domain isn't on Kindle but perhaps the new publisher will put it up soon.
That sounds amazing.
My TBR just got bigger. One of my favorite fantasy series is THE INCARNATIONS OF IMMORTALITY by Piers Anthony. It starts with On A Pale Horse, and each book chronicles a different person who becomes an incarnation of reality: Death, Time, War, etc.
Oooooh, that sounds amazing!!!
I don't read many obscure titles (none at all, really). However, Six of Crows is on my all-time fav list and, while it's a popular title, male readers tend to steer away from it. It's young adult, epic fantasy that does nearly everything right.
Huh, I've never heard of it! Thanks so much for the rec.
The Blade Itself is a darker fantasy by Joe Abercrombie, though it is getting pretty popular right now.
Awesome! I added it to my wishlist.
LOVE the Riddle Master trilogy!
The Necroscope series! Not fantasy at first glance but definitely goes there.
Commenting on this mostly so I can remind myself that the recommendations on this video exist, but also I'll throw out a couple recommendations of my own.
The Long Ships by Frans G. Bengtsson
Lud-in-the-Mist by Hope Mirrlees
And while the author may be better known on this one, the book is tragically under read:
A Night in Lonesome October by Roger Zelazny.
I like the Elric Saga.
There are no Booktubers I can find that ever talk about Michael Moorcock's works.
Also, currently reading Siege Tactics, which is Book 4 of Drew Hayes' Spells, Swords and Stealth series. They are brilliant. You've got to start with Book 1, though: NPCs.
Some of those books sound simply incredible! Added them to my wishlist. :D Thanks for the tips. One of my all time favs - that none of the people I've mentioned it to has heard of before - is the Lon Tobyn Chronicle by David B. Coe. The first book, Children of Amarid, blew me away. It's been a while since I last re-read it... I don't remember the writing being super impressive in itself. But the characters are great. There is mystery, adventure and a very, very cool magic system. And one of those revelations that stuck with me and I sometimes still think about. :) Highly entertaining read.
Wow, I've never even heard of this! Thank you, I'll read it.
I lovse the Wheel of Time by Robert Jordan and I feel like not enough younger audiences know about the books which sucks.
Also, the Stormlight Archive by Brandon Sanderson is damn good. If you haven't, please please read it.
None of these are unheard of but I still feel like not enough people read them because of the amount of books (wot) or the size of the books (stormlight). Honestly, both are so worth it.
Ps . random fact: Brandon Sanderson is releasing a book called Legion and I am so ready. Tor.com released a snippet.
You know, I actually didn't care for the Wheel of Time. I liked the early books, but he lost me around book five. I'll get back to it one day, but my current reading list is long enough.
I haven't read the Stormlight Archive, though I've received about a billion recommendations for it. I loved the Mistborn trilogy, so Stormlight is high on my "want to read" list.
Can't wait for Legion! Feel free to come back and tell me what you thought about it-I'm sure I'll discuss it on the channel at some point.
Same feelings for WoT, I did finish it though. Stormlight on the other hand is fantastic and you have to read it, just wonderful.
I think that the middle books of WOT were the rocky parts, the first few were good and the last three or four were absolutely PHENOMENAL. But yes, I get what you mean (I myself put down the series for some time at book 6 before I kept going).
Stormlight, in my humble opinion, is definitely Brandon Sanderson's best series. So much amazing world building and character development, incredible magic systems and those hit-hard character moments ahh. Amazing stuff, definitely.
Did just have youtube search about Deverry Cycle aka Katharina Kerr's books and this video did pop up... Never actually heard of you, might actually ad yours to me books to read list..? Also how about Raymond E. Feist's Riftwar Cycle for modern readers? that one is damn epic shit, but nowadays almoust forgotten...
Btw, if you mind, small synopsis etc of your books, pretty please? ;)
I will definitely look into your list and those in the comments. I was wanting to ask your thoughts on old series I liked as a teenager (way back right after the invention of the wheel), the Spellsinger series by Alan Dean Foster. I found the characters to entertaining and believable. The main character being pulled into the story and his development through the first 2 books was quiet humorous and the magic system not being spelled out worked as the protagonist had no idea how it worked either. After a re-read 20 years later I found the writing to be not as descriptive or elaborate as the authors I read today (Sanderson, Hobb, and Rothfuss), but it was just as entertaining. Curious of your thoughts.
You know, I remember reading those books when I was younger, but I don't remember ANYTHING about them. I have vaguely pleasant memories, but that's it. :-D
Riddle Master is actually well known for being very good.
Michael J Sullivan's Riyria chronicles and revelations are a fun enjoyable read. 2 thieves stealing things, getting involved in politics and discovering they're more important than they think. The banter between the good-guy thieves made this one fun.
Of brandon sanderson's works i enjoyed Elantris most - though all his books are great (stormlight is a little depressing for my taste - main character beaten down too often, makes me think i'm reading robin hobb)
Wheel Of Time, for all its frustrations remains my favorite though. The story and world are great, and most importantly - the magic system is unparalleled. the weaves, world of dreams powers, sidin/sider/true power - it makes for multiple super powerful characters that where power can be easily quantified and the reader knows why they can't solve all their problems by waving a hand.
Never heard of any of these, I’ll look more into some. Of lesser knowns I can recommend the Chaos Queen Quintet by Christopher Husberg; the Witchy War series by DJ Butler; and Unwilling Souls by Gregory Little
It's Witchy eye series.. I believe
Devices and Desires by K J Parker - first book in the Engineers Trilogy
No links to the books in the info-box?
I... love... Daggerspell and its sequels, and have done for years
I love the books by Jennifer Roberson. Specifically the Chronicles of the Cheysuli, and Sword Dancer series
Heard of them, but not for some time! Thanks for the reminder, I'll pick these up.
Awrite, looks like my TBR-list just got longer.
Maybe not really obscure,but I always find too few people have actually read the Silmarillion and too few have heard of the Watch-Tetralogy by Sergey Lukianenko.
Never heard of the Watch-Tetralogy! Thank you so much, I've added it to my list.
Nothing to thank me for! Especially not since making me aware of two potential favourites :-)
I don't know how good the English translations are and there are several transcriptions of the author's name, but I'm sure you'll find it. The first volume is Night-Watch :-)
Hope you'll love it as much as I do!
Carol Berg's Son of Avonar deserves to be on anyone's list
The Dark Sword Trilogy was really good. I also liked the Wheels of Time, Swan Song by Robert McCammon, and Mortal Engines by Philip Reeve.
I reccomend the swan's war trilogy by sean Russell. Wayyyy overlooked. So good.
Sweet! I'll check it out!
Horn-Horn by A. D. T. McLellan ;)
The Mis-Enchanted Sword (!!)
THAT FUCKING TITLE!!! Must read! Naow!!!
I'm reading Black City saint, I didn't see anyone on youtube talking about it
Please check out the sawns war trilogy by Sean Russell. Sooooo epic and underrated. Came out in 2000
Came for the props to Katherine Kerr, was not disappointed.
Do you do book reviews for authors?!
I read the fallen kingdoms series by Morgan rhodes,it's a ya fantasy version of game of thrones but they are so damn good! I seriously recommend it!
Wooow, that sounds so good!
Garrett Robinson it does,try finding them at the library and check them out,there are 6 books in the series including the spin off/prequel trilogy called the spirits and thieves series
The prince of nothing series by scott bakker
I love The talisman by Stephen King and Peter Straub. Everybody knows Stephen King but to my surprise nobody i know reads the talisman... :/
I read the first 60 pages of The Talisman and it was a pretty slow start. I had to the put the book down. I'll get back to it and try to finish it soon.
@@DecimalD_ It's Stephen King, what else did you expect haha. It is not a heavy action, fast read book.
Read the first 8 books of the Deverry series in the mid 90's found them all dirt cheap in a used book store haven't read the rest, the slight NTR vibe in the story put me off to be honest.
The Thief, by Megan Whalen Turner
3 seconds in and i can tell you have ADHD every generic youtuber acts like this lmao