Top 10 Completed Fantasy Series (no spoilers)
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- Опубликовано: 27 июл 2024
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00:00 | Intro
00:36 | #10
02:43 | #9
05:00 | #8
06:38 | #7
08:31 | #6
10:22 | #5
12:57 | #4
15:31 | #3
18:00 | #2
20:47 | #1
23:57 | Outro
𝗦𝗲𝗿𝗶𝗲𝘀 𝗺𝗲𝗻𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻𝗲𝗱:
The Black Company
Discworld
The Lord of the Rings
Mistborn Era 1
The Powder Mage
The Wheel of Time
Realm of the Elderings
The First Law
The Faithful and the Fallen
Of Blood and Bone
Malazan: Book of the Fallen
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I have a new camera/mic/lightning setup and I don't know what I'm doing, so please be critical and let me know your thoughts so I can make the presentation as good as possible!
Wow man, it looks incredible! Loving the progress over the months
I’ve got a bit of a photo/video background, so 2 things to work on with your new gear: your white balance is way too cool - your white walls have a very blue cast - so I’d adjust that on your camera. And somewhere you’ve got a light that flickers, in relation to your shutter speed. That causes the slow moving bands of light & dark from top to bottom. Usually that’s something like a fluorescent or LED light. Do some tests, increasing or decreasing your shutter speed slightly, and see if that helps.
@@MattonBooks coming to the comments to basically echo exactly what Matt said!
i love it! everything looks and sounds great. Also a great list! have you read rune lords by David Farland?
@@harrycorbiniv Thanks so much!
That mustache is unreal
Now in high-def!
Seriously! It’s a mustache I wish I could grow!
Stories will be written and passed down through the generations about this stache
goatstache
i dont think the Black Company gets enough credit. i have never seen another author write different perspectives in that way. the difference in prose between viewpoints is a masterwork.
Yeah, it's unrivaled in that regard!
John Gwynne said one of his inspirations for the battle scenes was watching The Revenant! That's exactly how he writes his battle scenes just chaos everywhere and so vivid!
Yeah that completely makes sense!
I see Malazan as number 1, I subscribe.
Yup, I do the same thing!
Always love to discover other people who appreciate Malazan for the masterpiece that it is
Yup, me too!
I take the Mazalan and raise you War of Light and Shadow
@@stevenredpath9332 Do explain good sir.
@@bdubb4899 a ten novel (9 published) epic spanning centuries around 2 main characters with fantastic world building and magic systems, great pacing and characters that you become invested in with great twists along the way. Check out the first book: curse of the mist wraiths.
I love how the Realm of the Elderlings got a well deserved boost up your list. The last book is just phenomenal!
Yeah, definitely got boosted up after I finished the series!
Amazing new setup, Matt! And hey, super love your top 4. I will be updating my list this year!
Thank you so much Petrik!
The energy that you project while explaining the writing style and what the good points are, really drew me in. You just hyped up a lot of the series in this video in a very very good way and I like it!
That's super nice of you. Thanks so much, and happy to help!
Sanderson really is great at dropping hints the entire series without me ever guessing the twists haha
Yup, I'm in the same boat I literally never see them coming and I absolutely end up feeling like I should have.
Bro same, I think I never really discovered any of the twists before they happened lmao the guy is so smart
@@JLchevz Seriously I feel like an idiot rereading I constantly think "he spelled the entire plot in his excellent foreshadowing how did I not see this???" haha smh 🤦♂😂
Yes!! Thank you. This is so helpful, and I've learned that I can trust your judgment. Headed to the library!😊
Wonderful, and I love that you utilize the library! That's where 90% of my reads come from.
Hey, the new set-up is amazing Matt! Congrats on 2k subscribers!
Thank you so much!
Love the new video/room setup!
I appreciate it!
Finished the second book of the Bloodsworn Saga today and that ending ughhh I really want the next book to come out!!! I think you’ve finally convinced me to pick up Malazan, it’ll be the other behemoth series I’ve read after the WoT, so now it seems it’s time :)
Yup, no time better than now! And fully agreed on the ending to Bloodsworn!
Great list! I’m reading Fitz and the Fool next month and really looking forward to it! I haven’t read your top two as of yet but will be starting on of them soon. Thanks for the video - I always love a top 10 list!
I hope you enjoy them when you get around to it - and like I mentioned before, you are in for a treat with Fitz and the Fool!
My favourite books by Robin Hobbs.
Man I love Mistborn! It was my first ever fantasy series and holds a special place in my heart. I recently started the wheel of time to see where Sanderson got his inspirations from and man, this series is so good!! I might check out Malazan in the future, hearing good things about it. I always wanted to try darker fantasy soon as well and now seeing how much the first law is loved, definitely going in my tbr
Nice picks! And yeah definitely give Malazan a try, it's a wonderful experience!
Hey, Matt- I'm a sf/f novelist and have been looking around for some quality fantasy fiction to re-inspire me in parts of my own writing. Then I stumbled across this review. You do a great job of hitting highlights (and, as advertised, not giving any spoilers--I hate spoilers!). I've made note of several titles you mentioned and will def be checking them out. Thanks very much for posting this! Timely and helpful.
Btw, my own fantasy series recommendation for terrific world building, characters and plotting? You gotta read Janny Wurtz. Her most famous work might be her collab with Ray Feist (Mistress of the Empire series, one of my own top faves) but her own "Wars of LIght and Shadow" series is spectacular. She started as a cover artist but her writing chops are something else.
Subscribing now!
Deborah - thank you for the kind words, and I really appreciate the book suggestion. I will throw it up on my TBR!
Great video! Ive been getting into fantasy series over the past couple years, and this video was great for expanding my horizons
I'm so glad it helped - happy reading!
@@MattsFantasyBookReviews I guess I didn't specify... I'm a lazy lover of fantasy... I listen to the audiobooks 😅
Great video! I look forward to reading some of these series.
Thanks so much, I hope you enjoy your reads!
Wheel of time isn't just about the world building, which was amazing, but also about the character development that was some of the best you'll ever read.
Yeah agreed!
Really happy to see The Black Company on here. I’ve gone through the first 4 books and plan to finish it as it is probably at the top of my list for fantasy series in just the first 4.
Great list all around. I’m on the 7th Malazan book and I’ve listened to the first of the series for almost all your other picks.
Yeah the Black Company is CRIMINALLY underrated - so glad you enjoy it. And I hope you enjoy the last few books of Malazan!
I've been following you on goodreads for awhile, finally jumped over here to listen to your reviews, this is my first one. Thoroughly enjoying your insights and selections so I have subscribed and will be back. I've read 6 of your selections although still working on Wheel of Time. Loved John Gwynne! Waiting for his next trilogy to finish so I can start it. Will have to check out Erickson next. Thanks!
Thanks so much! And yeah definitely check out Erikson, although be warned that the first book is regularly regarded as the worst of the bunch - so stick through it for at least 2 books to really see if it's for you or not!
your top 10 videos always perform well.
idk is it how youtube algorithm works or people just love to watch top 10 list kinda videos. i am happy that your youtube channel is growing. keep up the work
I'm pretty sure the reason is because they appeal to a much broader amount of people than when reviewing individual books.
Thanks for the kind words!
Yay! Love the new setup!
Thank you Kyle!
Another point to malazan is not only are the 10 main books a masterpiece there are also 10-15 other books based on the series that are fantastic as well.
Agreed, and those other books are really amazing as well!
Thanks for all the suggestions.
You are most welcome!
Wonderful video! I ready at least one book from almost the series that appears in your top and some of are very good and delightful! I agree with everything you said about First Law, especially the characteer Glokta, one of my favorites of all time despite been a bad man. I did not read Malzan yet, we only have two books published in Brazil, so guess I'll have to read the thir in english to hooked up by the series =)
Thank you so much Guilherme, and I hope you get the rest of the Malazan books becuase they really are special!
I am 2 books into the Faithful and the Fallen and it is hitting all the right notes so far. Really enjoying it. Have enjoyed several of the others in your list.
That's great, the last two books are incredible so I hope you enjoy!
Great list! Thanks for the recommendations
You are most welcome!
love the new setup!
Thank you!
I love how you called it Gods Gods by mistake 😂
The new set up is awesome!! Audio quality and visuals are all great!!
LOL. That's really funny...I didn't even realize that until you said this comment!
First time viewer and I really love listening to you Matt! Very likable, very likable indeed. This was great content!
Thank you so much!
Glad to see powder mage on here! Loved those! Going through WoT and the green bone saga currently (on book 3 of the latter rn. Love this trilogy!)
What fantastic series you are currently reading, I hope you enjoy!
And yeah, Powder Mage needs more love!
Didn’t really pay attention to powdermage series, thought it was at best second-grade fantasy.
However, seeing it in this list of mastodons right after Mistborn era-1 got me excited.
Will sure try it this year. Thanks!
Yeah it really is wonderful, give it a shot!
I must say, I’m glad I stumbled upon your channel . I like your outlook on things a really appreciate your genuine love for books
Thank you so much, that's super kind of you to say!
I’m currently reading Mistborn book 2 (The Well of Ascension). Loving it.
Had to stop “Dresden files” to go back to Mistborn because I was getting tired of DF. I need to give it a try on some of the other series you mentioned, like “The First Law”.
First of all : what an improvement your camera is !
Second, I think you made an excellent top 10 , I'm quite happy that you included the Powder Mage trilogy.
I just started your number 1 series , I'm only at the first book and it's quite overwhelming (especially the number of characters but I was warned so it's okay with me) but I'm liking it already a lot !
Thank you so much! I hope you really enjoy continuing on with Malazan.
I really like reading along with this powerpoint that doesn't spoil anything, and really adds a lot of important info to the mix. Check it out! docs.google.com/presentation/d/1GLRmiaFcxe_cGc93ckE5UItRq5rYsfeU0BhvqcaNq9E/edit#slide=id.i0
@@MattsFantasyBookReviews Thanks Matt, I'm sure it will be helpful :)
Edit : I had a closer look and there's so much info without spoiling anything, thank you again for sharing this !
Having read it twice I can recommend it but the plethora characters is mind boggling to say the least. But the final novel is worth it.
Love these top 10 videos!
Thanks Dino!
Really interesting, I have previously read 6 of the ten series here and will look in to the remaining 4 as soon as I can.
Tw of these series take pride of place on my bookcase...
I loved Robin Hobb and agree with you 100% that you WILL cry. If you cant feel for Fitz you have to be made of stone. I did prefer the Fitz books to the Rainwild books, but enjoyed them all and the convergence of stories in the final set was superb.
Malazan is the No1 fantasy series of all time in my eyes. It feels like your unpicking a millennia of history as would an archeologist, but the rewards for your efforts are immense. The humour and observations on how people treat one another are outstanding without detracting from the flow of the stories. As with Hobb you cannot help but feel the pain or sense of loss of some of the characters, and root for justice or rewards for certain characters (that may or may not be delivered). For me the best magic system ever devised. Definitely can see the influence of The Black Company in Erikson's masterpiece
Yeah I completely agree with everything you said in your comments. I do think Rainwild is the worst of the bunch, but I think Farseer is the worst of the three Fitz series.
thanks for the list, i really appreciate it ✌️
You are most welcome!
Video looks great, the audio sounds fine but there is just a little echo, but nothing a little room treatment wouldn't fix.
Just got book one of the black company, can't wait to start it!
Yeah I have to convince my wife to let me put up that room echo stuff! Thanks for the feedback, and I hope you enjoy Black Company.
Good video - glad that wheel of time and realm of the elderlings were so high.
Thank you!
Digging the production upgrades
Thank you so much!
I've read 5 of these, LotR, Mistborn, Powder Mage, WoT, and First Law. I read the first Black Company, but it didn't work for me. I might have to give it another try. First Law was like that the first time I read The Blade Itself, but I will probably give it a reread in the near future. I could read a whole book of Glokta just living his life. I liked LotR when I read it about 35 years ago, but it would probably be a chore to read again. Powder Mage was a lot of fun. Very cool. WoT did not work for me. I think of the first 10 books as a tedious prologue that was easily forgettable. The last 4 books were pretty good, but I'm not going to revisit it ever. Mistborn is my favorite trilogy, and I like to reread it along with all the other Cosmere books every couple years.
Pretty close agreement on these then! What are your top 3 all time best series?
I usually say my favorite trilogy is Mistborn 1, my favorite series is Stormlight Archive. Not sure on a 3rd. I would probably have to say First Law off the top of my head, but that might change if I really think about it. I'm putting some of these on my To Read list. I'll probably start with Malazan.
Great recommendations.. Thnx mate!!
You are most welcome!
The loveletter to malazan is epic in its own way 👍🏼👍🏼👍🏼 Amazing List and performance
Thank you so much!
New subscriber. I've never heard of The Black Company. Thank you sir
You are most welcome!
1. Wheel of Time
2. Drenai Saga
3. First Law
4. Malazan
5. Belgariad/Malloreon
6. Mistborn
7. Chronicles of Thomas Covenant
8. Shannara
9. Rigante Saga
10. Deed of Paksenarrion
I will say that Malazan is amazing, it is just tough to digest for some (me included). I find that reading a different/easier book in between Malazan books helps me decompress a little. I frequently finding myself thinking back about Malazan books though! I'm on book 5 now and honestly, I can't wait to finish the main 10 books and then go back for a re-read!
Yeah that's a good way to describe Malazan. It's nice to read something in between, but don't wait too long otherwise you forget important events.
I also can't wait for a re-read, I can already tell it's going to add to the enjoyment by a huge amount!
Very solid list. Mine would be a little different (of course, with so much books published I doubt two people could agree 100%) but all good choices. I’m missing Fonda Lee’s Green Bone saga, though. It’s an absolute masterpiece. Nice to have found your channel.
I just put up a review for Jade City this morning. I absolutely loved it and can't wait to read the next two!
New setup is pretty neat!
Thank you!
I was a broken down mess at the end of Mistborn. It was just so beautiful. I finished it and I was like hmm wow that's awesome. Then like 2 minutes later as I was continuing to process it, I just had a complete emotional breakdown. My wife was like what's wrong with you, do I need to call an ambulance wtf 😂
Yup my wife has said similar things to me while I'm reading!
Great upgrade in video quality!
Thank you so much!
New set up looks brilliant! How on earth did you nail it first time 😂 ?
Ps. That moustache in HD is epic.
I think I got really lucky! And thanks for the moustache love!
THE NEW SETUP IS IMMACULATE
Thank you so much!
More than half way through gardens of the moon, and I’m loving it. Was always a bit scared because people said it was so confusing, but in the immediate situations things make enough sense and are interesting, definitely missing a ton, but at this point I’m happy for the story to get better and better with each book.
Anyone who says its confusing is just bad at paying attention.
Yeah it definitely keeps on improving - glad you enjoyed it!
I can get how som
@@ActionMan153 yeah that’s what it kinda seems. I always read stuff saying people had no clue what was going on in first book and dnf. But for the most part it feels like there is more to be explained. The writing is great, and I love all the characters I have been introduced to so far, although Kruppe is somewhat cringe haha. But as of now I have a general idea of the groups and characters that are important so far, and if they introduce new ones just to be patient. By the end of book one I’ll probably try and solidify a bit of what I’ve learned about the Warrens, the elder races, so far have only been introduced to shadowthorne & oppon associates. The foreshadowing that is being laid down is good so far, and I’m very intrigued at how things will evolve with the elder races and the gathering of the imass. I don’t really need to know specifically where things are going. Looking forward to learning more about brood, and rake as well.
@@MattsFantasyBookReviews yeah I feel like it’s slowly peeling an onion to more and more layers, definitely excited. One of my favorite bits so far is where Lorn asks Tool what he thinks about. Then he goes into how he thinks about futility, and that most imass don’t talk basically because it’s pointless.
Black Company is now on my tbr!
I hope you enjoy!
Awesome video! Now go for top ongoing series!
Already made one!
ruclips.net/video/1ZjMpwa5XVc/видео.html
Loved the enthusiasm.
Thank you!
Malazan is indeed probably the best thing that has ever been written. In my opinion. It's okay if others don't think so, it's fine. But I will never tire of re-reading these books.
Hear hear!
bought all 10 of the malazan books, and am looking forward to diving into another massive series! really hope i agree that it tops the wheel of time!
The Realm of the Elderlings, my all time favourite series, and The Lord of the Rings is right up there. Enjoyed your listings, thank you!!
You are most welcome, thanks for watching!
Great list we have here. I would add Prince Of Nothing and Aspect Emperor by R.Scott Bakker (my all time favorite fantasy)
I'm delving into R. Scott Bakker in 2023, I look forward to it!
Disc world witches books are by far my favourites.
Glad you loved them!
Great video Matt!
The whole completed versus non-completed distinction never made any sense to me, but that's probably because ASOIAF is my favorite series ever by a lot, and it's status as uncompleted doesn't change that.
Love seeing Lord of the Rings, Realm of the Elderlings, The First Law and Malazan Book of the Fallen on your list - some of my very favorite series ever. Mistborn Era 1 and Wheel of Time are also both fantastic!
I really need to get to The Banished Lands - I read Malice forever ago, really enjoyed it, but just never went back to it. Thinking next year (but I've said that for 2 straight years now, so who knows?) His Bloodsworn series is one of my favorite things to come out the last couple of years (though I know it doesn't qualify for this list yet.)
Yeah I actually enjoy reading series that aren't done yet more than ones that are already done since I really like being involved in the hype of new books coming out.
Definitely get to the Banished Lands, I virtually guarantee you will love it.
It's probably been recommended to you already, if you haven't read it. The Second Apocalypse (Prince of Nothing and Aspect Emperor) by R. Scott Bakker. It's the more depressive and nihilistic brother of Malazan. It takes inspiration from Dune in a Mediterranean/Middle Eastern Setting with lots of Nietzsche thrown into the mix. And it's about a Holy War. Btw. Malazan is also my favorite series
Yes it's been recommended by a number of people - and I have it on my 2023 TBR!
Very detailed reviews and opinions with no spoilers!
Thank you! It's hard sometimes to do it without spoiling anything.
I read banished lands because of you. Loved it. It would be fantastic if you did audiobook reviews. It’s not the same thing as reading the book and if I recall correctly, I really struggled with one of the narrators for his series but I really loved the narrator for this series named Damian Lynch. I’m always looking specifically for audiobook reviews and I haven’t found a channel that does that. The narrator for Malazan, Ralph lister is so monotone that he kills the story for me. Joe Abercrombies narrator is probably one of the best narrators ever. I drive a lot so having a great book with a great narrator really matters. One last one that you didn’t cover, the Witcher series, one of the best narrations ever.
I'm so glad that you enjoyed Banished Lands!
I actually do audiobook reviews, just not as often. I read audiobooks on my commute, and about 1/3 of the books I review are audio.
Agreed on The First Law being an incredible audiobook read. The only one better in my opinion is Gentlemen Bastards.
I'll be doing Witcher next year on audiobooks, I hadn't heard yet that the audio is great so that's amazing to hear!
What about a new author who needs reviewing?
ruclips.net/video/daXpcBYKQV0/видео.html
The 'The Licanus Trilogy' is great, it doesn't get a huge amount of hype, but is easily in my top 10 fantasy series The character arcs, magic systems and changing timelines kept me intrigued, entertained and even a little confused at times, though the pay off's are well worth it.
That's awesome to hear, I'm reading this trilogy later in 2022.
Second this. After reading it I was surprised it isn't very talked about. I stumbled on it thanks to Audible recommendations.
@@colerowland8617 That's great - I can't wait to read!
I'm in the middle of Wheel of Time but man, you are really making me want to read Malazan.
DO IT!
Hey Matt! I loved this list and just subscribed.
I'm rather "old school" and enjoy stuff like The Elric series; The Chronicles of Amber; the Memory, Sorrow, and Thorn series (goddamn Tad Williams for continuing this series! 🤬🤬); The Death Gate Cycle. Maybe do a Top 11-20?
Jerry, I actually haven't read any of those - but Memory Sorry Thorn is on the top of my 2023 list so I will be getting to those shortly!
I tried Malazan when I was younger and got about 5-6 books in before quitting - I liked so much about it, but felt the overall arc was disappointing. It wasn't until someone described it as a series of short stories painting a larger picture that it 'unlocked' for me. And I agree, there is nothing like it. Truly spectacular.
Yeah, that's a good way to look at Malazan. I would also add that the story doesn't truly come together until the end, and when it does it all makes sense and feels extremely worthwhile - at least for me.
I've put the series on hold after reading Deadhouse Gates cause I've got a gut feeling no other series is gonna impress me anymore once I'm done with Malazan. Also this is probably the only list that I agree with 100% :)
The beautiful thing about Malazan is that it gets better each reread! Once you finish you will be itching to start it again knowing with you now know.
I’m one of those readers that only ever reads series that are already completed haha.
Great list, I’ve already read a few but I’ll definitely check out the others!
You are most welcome, thanks for the kind words!
I love faithful and fallen too. I will try malazan too. Currently I am reading powdermage trilogy
Everything I've read on here would also be in my top completed series, so I really have to get on the others! (Powder Mage, Black Company, and Discworld). Ones that would be on mine that aren't on here are Shadows of the Apt, Temeraire, and the Magicians Trilogy
Nice additions, all of those are on my TBR list.
Also, check your discord message I sent you or just send me an email (it's in my RUclips bio) I want you to join in on a collaboration video I'm making.
Love seeing The Banished Lands at #2, John Gwynne is wild. I didn't even need to see #1 to know what it was and I entirely agree 😆
Yeah Banished Lands is really quite amazing!
Thanks for the vidéo i started a lot of incomplete series and it's frustrating
You are most welcome!
Damn you Matt. I was going to make a top 10 series video as well, but yours is mine. 😆
Well, ok, not 100%. Maybe my list is still worth it. 😏 I got the same advice already as a Discworld virgin, and have Guards! Guards! on my TBR for this year. And I DNFed WoT #1 *twice* and have no plans to try again. And not sure Mistborn’d make it onto my list. Okay, so my list would be pretty different. 😆 It’d definitely have a few more things written before 1990 on it, like Zelazny’s Amber Chronicles.
And yeah, whenever someone talks about the “Sanderlanche”, I can’t help but hear Erikson say, “hold my beer.” 😆 Except that he did it first, of course.
Thanks for the comment Matt - can't wait to see yours!
Ah yes I have been looking for completed fantasy books. Finally I have found this video. Thank you. I shall check them out. And if you have time you should check out The Beginning After The End and Omniscient Reader’s Viewpoint. They’re webnovels but they’re really great
Thanks, I'll check that out!
One of my favorite series is actually a relatively obscure one by a Japanese author called Overlord. Though to date all 14 books on amazon have been localized. It's about a VRMMO player who plays an evil undead skeleton lord in a videogame. He used to be in a very big guild and they built a powerful castle filled with monster NPCs. The game is nearing the end of it's lifespan so he logs on one last time to say goodbye to the game. Midnight strikes and the servers go offline. Then they come back online somehow and he realizes he is still sitting in the throne in his castle and the NPCs around him have gained sentience and are eager to serve him. And he is an undead sorcerer with a legion of demons at his command. The neighboring human kingdoms and the world around him also come to life and he quickly finds himself facing various moral problems given he was just a gamer playing a character. It's actually been adapted into an anime series though I can assure you the books are far better.
That's awesome, I'll have to check it out!
Subscribed!
Thank you!
* *Sees the timestamps are only numbered, not labeled* *: "Alright then. Keep your secrets."
* *Clicks on video's description* *: "Huzzah! A BookTuber of quality!"
lol - I try to make it a secret for people that want it hidden, but also easily accessible for those who just want the list. :)
I haven't found any other channel, who talks about the powder mage trilogy. When I found it in Polish, I've read the first book in the series and it was really good. I was shocked that nobody talks about this book in Poland. Unfortunately the second book bored me and I made a dnf. Maybe one day I'll return to reread this series and give it another try.
The second book does drag a little bit I thought the final book really ended things in a great way.
The best thing about Lord of the Ring is the high quality literary words. As literature and language student I loved reading it. Fun Fact: as soon as I finished reading the series, I was stumped when I heard that they finished the first movie of the series. At first, I was skeptical, because movie versions of books usually tend to ruin the stories (i.e The Wheel of Time drama adaptation *mumbling: ruining my most favorite Epic Fantasy series*), but I was pleasantly surprised that it proved my expectations wrong.
Great video, and you hit on some of my favorite series which don't receive as much recognition as they deserve. My one slight quibble is that I preferred the original First Law trilogy to the latest one. Anything by Abercrombie is a day one purchase for me. Would have liked to see the Chronicles of Amber by Zelazny on this list, but you can't have everything.
Thanks for the comment! Yeah I think your opinion on the First Law is by far the predominant opinion. And I've never actually heard of Chronicles of Amber but I'll add it to my TBR!
@@MattsFantasyBookReviews You are in for a huge treat!
What about a new author who needs reviewing?
ruclips.net/video/daXpcBYKQV0/видео.html
Excellent list, love your passion for novels! Currently reading Book One of the Malazan cycle and it's intense. It's the type of book that requires a lot from the reader. I'll be reading for a few hours, completely absorbed in the story and when I stop I've only read 60 pages or so! I'm a huge fan of the First Law series. I do disagree with you though, it's brutally dark.
Yup, I fully hear you on the reading for hours and not getting far with Malazan.
I do find that referencing this powerpoint presentation really helps keep things clear in your head without ruining anything from the first book. Check it out!
docs.google.com/presentation/d/1GLRmiaFcxe_cGc93ckE5UItRq5rYsfeU0BhvqcaNq9E/edit#slide=id.i0
@@MattsFantasyBookReviews thanks Matt!
on dead house gates right now page 400, only problem I had was building up Darujhistan Wizards. Baruk talked himself up only to be amazed at quick ben 7 warrens and getting destoryed by Vorcan I thought that was silly good thing rake and all the other powerhouses showed up Baruk needs to hand over leadership to Kruppe I think or Vorcan lol
I don't want to spoil anything, so I will just keep it simple and say that you should revisit this comment after you have finished up the series. I think you may get a little surprised by what you find out :)
Great video! It’s true that LOTR doesn’t completely age well, but it’s still a phenomenal series.
Thank you - agreed!
Glokta and Fitz... I love them both so much!! They are my BOIS!!!!
Hear! Hear!
Great vid as usual! Your claim that Gwynne writes better battle sequences than Abercrombie is eye opening… not saying I disagree as I’ve yet to read Gwynne. Malice and the rest of that series may just be my fall/winter series.
Yeah the claim would have made me dubious as well as I also read Abercrombie first. But just go look up a picture of Gwynne and you'll know what I'm talking about 😆
@@MattsFantasyBookReviews lol oh I’m quite familiar with him. I love his sons youtube channel and I actually started Malice about 3 years ago and I honestly bounced off of it… I think I was about halfway when I decided to move on with Malazan instead of finishing Malice. I definitely plan to give it another go though.
My personal favorite is the Codex Alera.
I've never read it, but I'll put it on my TBR!
Great list. having read most of them good ranking. The Black Company only read the first book yeas ago, have to get back into them. Discworld after reading the first two books, just didn't think it was worth my time to plow on ahead. The elusive Malazan have read book one three times and book two twice - great ending, everyone tells me to plow on.
You should do another list of these completed series, there are many more good ones out there.
Thanks for chiming in! And yes, go read Book 3 for Malazan yesterday!
Recently finished The god is not willing which is brilliant. Now half way through the path of ascendancy. Considering starting gardens of the moon again.
Yeah I can't wait to start Book of the Fallen from the start again!
@@MattsFantasyBookReviews thinking I might reread book of the fallen after the ascendancy novels. But this time throw in esslemonts Malazan novels in order.
I love faithful and the fallen!!! May be my favorite fantasy of all time!
Yeah it really is incredible. I was blown away by it, and upset it took me so long to find out about the book.
@@MattsFantasyBookReviews And I still haven't read the second series 🤦♂
@@dinocollins720 Oh wow it's so good, give it a try!
Hi Matt, I've only just recently come across your channel. I wonder have you ever read much David Gemmell? The Drenai series and Rigante series are some of my favourites but it's rare I hear any book tubers talk about them. I'd love to know your thoughts if you've read any of his work. I don't know if he's just not that popular in the United States but with him having an award in the UK for fantasy writing since his passing I thought he was a renown fantasy writer world over.
I actually have the Drenai series as TBR for the first quarter of 2023 - I'm super looking forward to it!
@@MattsFantasyBookReviews fantastic all the more reason to keep watching!
I'm reading memories of ice now and here's my thoughts so far...all the prose is wonderful but requires way more brainpower than most books I've read. Definitely feels like I'm reading above my reading level with the vocab 😅
Gardens: kinda confusing until like half way and I got used to the style. However, the magic and the mystery and the gods were extremely gripping. I love all the derujistan crew. Love the quick POV swapping. Kruppe is my favorite character. Dragnipur scene was one of the coolest things ever. So many interesting moments.
DHG: I didn't hate it but it's was extremely underwhelming for me and boring at times. I didn't connect with any of the characters and didn't care about their plot. Love Mappo/Icarium only. Kalam is cool. Felt completely different from Gardens in almost every way.
Memories of Ice: prologue completely blew me out of the water. I am so so so interested in what is going on in this book. Taking my time and enjoying every chapter so far.
Summary: I hope the rest of the series is mostly like gardens + MOI, and less like deadhouse 😂
When I found out Erickson revived the hobbled woman in book 10 of Malazan I seriously just sat there for a minute… he could’ve just made this woman suffer just to suffer but he gave us some mercy and I’ll always appreciate that balance so kudos to Steven because that’s how you do “grimdark”
Yup, 100% it's the right way to write Grimdark.
Lol how about a little spoiler warning?!
Castle Perlious. Funny portals. Cineverse. Simply crazy. Simmons Mark Half-life series (Amazon said godfather meets Dracula), his other series Net of Dreams.
Brian McClellen series is most intriguing to me. Will start looking for it.
I hope you enjoy it!
I'm still new to reading fantasy, the Faithful and the Fallen is my favourite series I've read so far. The First Law is a close second.
Awesome, love your tastes in books! Both of those are SO good
Try the first chronicle of Thomas Covenant the Unbeliever by Stephen Donaldson. It’s regarded as the first grim dark series before the term existed.