Great job! Keep making these videos. I just started watching booktube this year and my one complaint about the fantasy community is that everyone tends to discuss the same books. I had a couple of these books on my tbr already and added a few more because of this video. Thank you.
Yeah there’s definitely that group of books that are very popular and have great fandoms that I had major FOMO on haha 😂 but definitely want to try to find these hidden gems as well, so glad you enjoyed this video! 😄
I would vote another video, some good underrated books would be The Black Magician Trilogy by Trudi Canavan, the witches of eileanan by Kate Forsyth, and The Hythrun Chronicles by Jennifer Fallon or the Spirit Walker Trilogy by Kate Elliott
Yesss! Great video and thanks for the shout out! I added 2 books to my list too! I would love to see what you think about LPQ when you get around to it. I have to be careful of the trap too of only reading the popular books. I try to carve out at least a couple lesser known stuff per month. Gutter Prayer sounds awesome and David Gemmell is supposed to be a fantastic battle fantasist, and I think he was one of John Gwynne's inspiration I believe. I, however, did not enioy the Belgariad AT ALL, but that was many moons ago, so who knows!
If I could only say one I'd do the Obsidian Trilogy by Mercedes Lackey and James Mallory!! I am astonished at how few people I have seen talk about this given how amazing it is. Mercedes Lackey is an OG fantasy author and imo this trilogy she co-wrote is by far her best work. The worldbuilding, magic system, and characters are all terrific 8) Other than that, I think the... I think it's called Resenting the Hero series? I'm pretty sure that's the first book. The covers look really cheap and corny so I was VERY surprised and impressed by the depth of the worldbuilding and magic. The covers make it look like a schlocky parody when it's really a straight-up fantasy. And the Jackaby series I think is not well-represented by its summaries and tagline when they're such fun, fast, smartly-- and tightly-plotted books. Lastly, Robin McKinley's Rose Daughter is sheer poetry.
Totally checking out the obsidian trilogy now! Thanks for the recommendation! Haha sometimes those fantasy covers are so cheesy but it’s fun to embrace it 😂 I’ll definitely check all those out! Thank you!
Gutter Prayer sounds so awesome!! Been wanting to read it for awhile, I love the cover too! The Belgariad is a wonderful fantasy series for young readers, was one of my favourites when I was a kid. Just...kinda icky for me to think about these days, David Eddings and his wife abused their child horribly, so much so they went to jail for it. Hard for me to think about that series now that I know that
Over here in the Uk its called the Painted Man. Its a fantastic book! Don't most adult fantasy novels have Trigger Warnings? Grimdark fantasy for example must be a nightmare for people with certain sensibilities i would bet!
I still whistle the tune, the theme I think, from the Disney Robin Hood movie. I believe I had a version of it on a little vinyl forty-five was I was a kid. Also, Fox and the Hound still makes me cry. Great stuff, as always!
They were certainly fun reads. I find that Edding's books like many 90's fantasy (Terry Brooks and Cough Cough Terry Goodkind) was fairly derivative and probably wouldn't hold up well by todays standards of fantasy. Also Eddings was involved in some controversy in the past which wasn't great! But i did enjoy the Belgariad. 👍
I have had my eye on the Gutter Prayer for awhile myself. It sounds really good and reviews have been really solid. I still really need to read Rosewater. Such a detailed list. 😊
My favourite book series is definitely rarely talked about - the Obernewtyn Chronicles by Isobelle Carmody. It's Australian, and while I'm British and so know for sure that it has been released here and in the US, the only time I ever see anyone online talking about it they're Australian. It's actually sci-fi but with fantasy elements and more of a fantasy 'feel' to it. The first book was published in the 80s, the final one in 2015 - the author definitely improved and changed her style over that time, and the books got longer and longer! (In the US/UK editions they actually split some of the longer books into two.) I started reading it when I was about 10, but the series gets more mature as it goes on (think Harry Potter I suppose!). You mentioned that you like the tropes of the chosen one, animal companions, prophecy and a looming war... it has all of those, but in an unusual way.
Just a tip for those who are interested in The Warded Man. I had been trying to get my hands on it for a while but I could only find it in mass market paperback! Until I found out that it’s also published under The Painted Man and you can find a normal sized paperback in that edition. So now it’s on my shelves 😌 I think one title is the UK publication and the other is the US 🤷🏻♀️
Trail of Lightning is one of my favorite reads of the year. Love Rebecca Roanhorse. Can't wait for Black Sun. Glad the Sixth World series is getting more attention lately.
Belgariad is 5 books yes, but it has a sequel series lasting another 5 books, with most of the same characters too so the adventure continues. You really get so much time to know and love them.
I hope you read/love The Belgariad! (I pronounce it the same way you do!) I just read it earlier this year and loved it. It completely re-sparked my love of reading and discovering booktube. My boyfriends mom gave it to me and said her and her sisters would fight over it when they were younger haha the copy I have is one big chunky book that collects the first three (or 4?) books in the series. Feels so nostalgic and classic and I loved it so much!! I hope you do too :)
Legend is my favorite fantasy novel. I also read David Eddings when his novels first came out and I enjoyed. I would recommend Andre Norton's Witch World series, anything by Barbara Hambly and the Deryni series by Katherine Kurtz.
I just found your channel from your crossover with Elliot Brooks. Pawn of Prophecy is the book that got me into reading. I hope you enjoyed it (or will enjoy it)!
Great video! I love seeing backlisted titles. I remember seeing The Belgariad series around back in the day. I tried to read David Eddings's Elenium series twice and just got too bored (though the first book was good). It put me in a long reading slump. 🙈 I loved that Disney Robin Hood movie! I want to watch it again now. 💕🦊💕
I remember reading Night Mare when I was 12 (way back in the 90s) and had no idea at the time it was a series. I just picked it up. Soooooo goood! Told from the perspective of a *horse*, albeit a supernatural being.... I think that was my first fantasy book ever and I've been hooked to the genre ever since.
Great video! I loved the idea of talking about underrated fantasy books. I will check some of these. Also, I have to say that your last video was very helpful, since I decided to look up "Poison Study" and I read at least 5 chapters during my lunch-break, and I am already looking this series up on Amazon. So, thank you!
Such great suggestions for my Fantasy TBR 🤗 You should check "Winds of the Forelands" saga by David B.Coe, this is so underrated!!! Thank you for this video which makes me want to swim in an ocean of fantasy!
Most of my faves are very underrated. The big ones I'd recommend would be City of Spires by Claudie Arseneault, and The Tarot Sequence by K. D. Edwards. City of Spires is about an idealistic lord trying to drive a tyrannical empire out of his city. Meanwhile an ancient lord returns to the city after a century of being trapped in a place where time doesn't flow. It deals with loads of themes of identity (race, class, gender, sexuality, etc.) and has a full LGBTQ+ cast. I love it for the characters - they're probably my favourite found family in fiction. But that's not to say the plot isn't good, because it is brilliant. The first book is City of Strife. The Tarot Sequence is an urban fantasy set in the city of New Atlantis, which is ruled over by the arcana - creatures of immense magical power who are named after the major arcana of tarot. It follows a man called Rune Saint John, who is the last remaining arcana heir to the Sun throne. Unlike most arcana, he's poor and makes a living as a sort of mercenary. He gets hired to investigate the disappearance of another heir, and also gets roped into agreeing to protect another. Lots of potentially triggering content, so I would look up warnings. Also rather a lack of compelling female characters in the first book, but I imagine that probably gets better. The first book is The Last Sun.
I definitely loved the Disney Robin hood 😍 but my favorite is Men in Tights 😂 I definitely want to pick uo the long prince quartet, and gutter prayer sounds super interesting!
Weirdly, I think these days they kind of qualify as YA or even Middle Grade fantasy. I read them when I was in my early teens and it worked. They're fast and fun and simple books.
Yes i also read this like 20 years ago. It was a fun read but like a lot of Adult fantasy in the 90s it was pretty derivative and probably wouldn't hold up to a lot of modern, dynamic fantasy of today if being honest. Also i David Eddings was involved in some controversy in the past which could taint someones view of his books, just saying! 🤷♂️
David Gemmell is an awesome writer - a dark tone with excellent plot twists. Definitely worth reading! Additional recommendations would be Katherine Kerr's Deverry saga or Jennifer Fallon's Second Sons trilogy - both excellent fantasy series no one ever talks about!
Several of these books are on my tbr. One that I think is underrated is the Mageri series & Crossbreed (my favorite) series by Dannika Dark. They're urban fantasy that are set in the same world. There are unique fantasy/paranormal beings in it, & it also puts a new spin on some other types of magical beings we've seen before.
Loved this video, so good to see different fantasy books recommended. My dad loves the demon cycle series so that’s high on my tbr list to read. I’m very intrigued by hood, we ride the storm and trail of lightning ❤️
I love the Gutter Prayer. You should read it ASAP...The worldbuilding the characters (you'll love the ghoul) everything is just so good. The prologue is great its very interesting and I'm in love with this book😊😊
Two authors I always try to plug are Elizabeth Haydon with her Symphony of Ages, and KJ Parker with his Engineer trilogy. Gutter Prayer had some cool ideas, but I didn't end up loving it. Warded Man I did like. Second half of the series gets some backlash, but I thought they were fine.
@@JessieMaeBooks Would still recommend reading Gutter Prayer , the premise and ideas _are_ very cool. It wasn't bad, was just slightly disappointed.. And please do check out Haydon and Parker, both deserve a lot more attention 😊
I know this an older vid, but I'm relatively new to your channel. I just wanted to say, thanks for mentioning the Belgariad. No one ever talks about it and it's one of my favorite fantasy series.
Great video! I’m always looking for lesser known fantasy and would love to see another video from you. One series I would consider a real hidden gem is the Throne of Amenkor trilogy by Joshua Palmatier. I‘m so sad one of my favourites isn‘t getting the love it deserves and talked about more.
Legend and the books of David Gemmell are fantastic, heroic fantasy! His novels i would say, imo read closer to Joe Abercrombie than Sanderson (a bit like John Gwynne i think) in a sword and sorcery kinda way. His characters like Druss are Conan esque, totally kick ass, virtuoso fighters. So awsome! The Drenai Saga books however are linked or loosely tied but mostly stand alone stories. I highly recommend! 👍👍
The Belgariad is still one of my favorite series. Although the plot is predictable for anyone familiar with classic fantasy tropes. The characters for me are still my favorite ever and make this series worth the read.
Yay! The Warded Man was mentioned! It's not the book that got me into reading but it's the book that made me realize how amazing reading can be. I hope you pick it up and enjoy it. This was a really fun video.
Thank your for the recommendations. I just purchased Gutter Prayer sounds good. I read Pawn of Prophecy ages ago...was okay. Wasn’t my favorite but is definitely classic fantasy.
🎶Robin Hood and Little John Walking through the forest Laughing back and forth at What the other has to say Reminiscing this'n'that And having such a good time Ooda-lolly ooda-lolly Golly what a dayyyyyy🎶
I'm doing the same thing, my 2021 book project is under rated/lesser know fantasy. Ca not wait to see what your list will be maybe we have some of the same ones on it.
i'm glad you've done this vid. i'm always striving to reach for adult fantasy because my instinct is to go to ya. i hadn't even heard of john gwynne so i'm happy to hear about more authors.
So I think you will really like Trail of Lightning. Maggie reminded me a lot of Geralt (atleast from the short story collections and tv show) in some ways and I guess I just love monster hunting books 😆 and obviously I think you should read Redemption in Indigo 😉 also Jemisin is not as underated anymore but either her Dreamblood Duology or Inheritance Trilogy deserve more love!
Literature Science Alliance omg yes!! I love Geralt so a female version of Geralt sounds awesome haha! And yes! Those are on my list for next year to read! 😍
I've not read the Forgetting Moon yet but the author Brian Lee Durfew also has a UA-cam channel and seems quite a nice and funny guy. At the latest when his series is fully finished I'll read it 100%
I haven’t read any of these but many of them sound intriguing. I already bought The Gutter Prayer based on the recommendation of Justine from the UA-cam channel I Should Read That. I love her channel. She reads lots of fantasy and sci-fi, including many I don’t hear about elsewhere.
Legend is incredible. Gemmell was an amazing fantasy writer and the real father of grey and complex characters in modern fantasy novels. Technically it is the first of 11 books, however, this one is sort of standalone. The next two do follow on chronologically but there are also books set before Legend. In Legend, Druss is an old man, so there are books that were published later which are about his adventures as a younger man. Gemmell was a major influence on my work and I've had readers tell me that which I take as a huge compliment.
@@JessieMaeBooks if you do read Legend, read the stuff around it after, as the author was battling with something in his private life while writing it and the story reflects that. It's fascinating but I'm an Uber-Gemmell fan! 😆
As someone who doesn't really enjoy classic and classic inspired fantasy (Tolkien/Jordan/Sanderson/etc), I can say that I actually quite enjoyed Belgariad when I read and reread it as a young teen. And while yes, there are few of my least favorite tropes like: the chosen one, prophecies, dark lord, wise old wizard mentor, I actually liked how some of the tropes were handled. For example, while there is an ultra powerful old wizard, there is actually an equally powerful, no nonsense *_female wizard_* 😮 who keeps him in check (and vice versa) when he starts being all Gandalf/Dumbledore like (speaking only in riddles, being late but saying that wizard is never late, stuff like that). Also, the prose is much more straight forward (at least the translation was), there is no song break on every second page or detailed lore for _everything_ 😅 even though there were a lot of interesting and different cultures. The books are also quite short, so they are fast to fly through. All that being said, I never finished the series 😅 because I arrived at the point where _yet another_ of my least favorite tropes was about to happen and I wanted nothing to do with it. So I read and reread the 3.5/5 books in the series multiple times (and am always up for a reread), but don't really have the intention of finishing the series 😅 But, I think that people who enjoy all those classic fantasy tropes or at least don't mind them as much as I do (and also perhaps the people who want to dip their toes into more classic fantasy) could enjoy it lot (and actually finish it 😅)
Look up The Starchaser Saga by Renee Dugan, the reveal for the third book is coming on September 8th and I am working independently for Renee to help with the reveal. The books are amazing so definitely check her out
The long price quartet is one of the most fulfilling series I’ve ever read...The first book tends to be a bit on the slower side but the way it works on to the story for the upcoming books is amazing!!!
Nifty idea! However, David Eddings is not really underrated. For many years he was considered the end-all be-all of fantasy novels, right after Tolkien. These books regularly made the best seller's list. So, not really underrated or under appreciated, but maybe not as well known to younger readers. Thanks for the list!
the ruin of kings is soooo good!!!! i read an arc of the third one and its one of my favourite books of the year for sure!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! (although the third one isn't the final book, i think there is going to be more!!)
I'm guessing you are a Battlestar Galactica fan? I'm OLD so I am a HUGE fan of the original series, but my Best Friend said I needed to watch the new series... Which I started, but quickly got annoyed with "FRAK" and never continued... My friend keeps yelling at me to go back and watch 😁
I have been looking for books that were not really mainstream and were flying under the radar. Thank you so much for this list. I can recommend books by John gywn. + The warded man ( that was awesome + overpowered MC - loved it)
-The Rain trilogy by Allison J. Kennedy -Twelve ( The Danilov Quintet 1) by Jasper Kent - Ace Of Shades by Amanda Foody -The Rose Mark by Connie Suttle
I think the Arcane Ascension series by Andrew Rowe deserves more love, it’s an amazing self-pub LitRPG which I never thought I would like, but it definitely sucks you in and is such a fast read for a long book
Quick question about Malice! I've been thinking of picking up that series for a while, but I'm a bit sensitive to gore. As far as fantasies go, how gory/violent would you say the first book is? (thank you in advance!!)
Hello! Could you review the Lore of HID&GEM / Lore of HDnG? It's a wiki style read with very deep storyline, the fanbases would be super excited to see new reviews and video essays!!!!!!!!
Please review SCARLETT LOST IN THE FIVE LANDS by Rajendra Sarilla. It is the most under rated fantasy book. It has many powerful female characters, magic school, dragons, and brilliant war scenes.
Please do more of these. Trying find something that wasn’t written by Brandon Sanderson
Haha that’s fair! I love Sanderson, but he definitely has enough recognition at this point 🤣 glad you enjoyed the video!
Try Tad William's especially his four book Shadowmarch series.
Ok sounds good
If your needing another. "The inoccent mage/awekend mage" duology.
Brent weeks all of his stuff
@@peterbrasier1450 thanks
OMG! Your voice is so soothing! You should do voice overs and narrate audiobooks! 💖
Omg that’s so kind haha listening to my voice makes me cringe so I appreciate that 🤣
^^literally!! I don’t really have the same taste in books as you but I still watch every single one of your videos because your voice is so calming 😍😍
Nadia omg y’all are so nice 😭❤️
Yes, I thought the same thing. Her voice would be wonderful in an audiobook.
Yeah! you have the perfect voice for YA, for sure.
Great job! Keep making these videos. I just started watching booktube this year and my one complaint about the fantasy community is that everyone tends to discuss the same books. I had a couple of these books on my tbr already and added a few more because of this video. Thank you.
Yeah there’s definitely that group of books that are very popular and have great fandoms that I had major FOMO on haha 😂 but definitely want to try to find these hidden gems as well, so glad you enjoyed this video! 😄
The belgariad is so good! I love how the magic system incorporates physics.
Lol wait I’m stupid. I recommended the belgariad on your post 😂😂😂
🤣🤣🤣 thank you for the recommendation!! I really want to pick it up now!
Lots of awesome books I've never heard of and you're almost at 7k subs, early congrats!
Ah thank you so much Alex!!! 😄
I would vote another video, some good underrated books would be The Black Magician Trilogy by Trudi Canavan, the witches of eileanan by Kate Forsyth, and The Hythrun Chronicles by Jennifer Fallon or the Spirit Walker Trilogy by Kate Elliott
Woohoo! Definitely going to check these out! 😄
Yesss! Great video and thanks for the shout out! I added 2 books to my list too! I would love to see what you think about LPQ when you get around to it. I have to be careful of the trap too of only reading the popular books. I try to carve out at least a couple lesser known stuff per month.
Gutter Prayer sounds awesome and David Gemmell is supposed to be a fantastic battle fantasist, and I think he was one of John Gwynne's inspiration I believe.
I, however, did not enioy the Belgariad AT ALL, but that was many moons ago, so who knows!
Glad you found some books out of this video! Doesn’t gutter prayer sound amazing?! I need to read that now 🤩
If I could only say one I'd do the Obsidian Trilogy by Mercedes Lackey and James Mallory!! I am astonished at how few people I have seen talk about this given how amazing it is. Mercedes Lackey is an OG fantasy author and imo this trilogy she co-wrote is by far her best work. The worldbuilding, magic system, and characters are all terrific 8)
Other than that, I think the... I think it's called Resenting the Hero series? I'm pretty sure that's the first book. The covers look really cheap and corny so I was VERY surprised and impressed by the depth of the worldbuilding and magic. The covers make it look like a schlocky parody when it's really a straight-up fantasy. And the Jackaby series I think is not well-represented by its summaries and tagline when they're such fun, fast, smartly-- and tightly-plotted books.
Lastly, Robin McKinley's Rose Daughter is sheer poetry.
Totally checking out the obsidian trilogy now! Thanks for the recommendation!
Haha sometimes those fantasy covers are so cheesy but it’s fun to embrace it 😂
I’ll definitely check all those out! Thank you!
I'm so hyped for Ruin of Kings! I think it's a five book series though. You always make me add so many books to my tbr haha
Wow! Even better, more books to love 😍❤️ haha!
Gutter Prayer sounds so awesome!! Been wanting to read it for awhile, I love the cover too!
The Belgariad is a wonderful fantasy series for young readers, was one of my favourites when I was a kid. Just...kinda icky for me to think about these days, David Eddings and his wife abused their child horribly, so much so they went to jail for it. Hard for me to think about that series now that I know that
Zach Sykes oh my goodness! I didn’t realize that about the author, I’ll have to look into it now, thanks for heads up!
Yikes! Good thing I didn't continue after Queen of Sorcery then.
omg I am so happy The Warded Man got mentioned! Soooooo good! Absolute favorite! (But there's a lot of trigger warnings in it)
Over here in the Uk its called the Painted Man. Its a fantastic book!
Don't most adult fantasy novels have Trigger Warnings? Grimdark fantasy for example must be a nightmare for people with certain sensibilities i would bet!
That's what makes it an interesting read, but I don't think he'd get it published today!
I still whistle the tune, the theme I think, from the Disney Robin Hood movie. I believe I had a version of it on a little vinyl forty-five was I was a kid. Also, Fox and the Hound still makes me cry.
Great stuff, as always!
Aaron Safronoff haha those classic disney movies are the best 🤩
I read the Eddings books in the 90s and absolutely loved them. Definitely worth a try. :)
They were certainly fun reads. I find that Edding's books like many 90's fantasy (Terry Brooks and Cough Cough Terry Goodkind) was fairly derivative and probably wouldn't hold up well by todays standards of fantasy. Also Eddings was involved in some controversy in the past which wasn't great! But i did enjoy the Belgariad. 👍
I have had my eye on the Gutter Prayer for awhile myself. It sounds really good and reviews have been really solid.
I still really need to read Rosewater.
Such a detailed list. 😊
My favourite book series is definitely rarely talked about - the Obernewtyn Chronicles by Isobelle Carmody. It's Australian, and while I'm British and so know for sure that it has been released here and in the US, the only time I ever see anyone online talking about it they're Australian.
It's actually sci-fi but with fantasy elements and more of a fantasy 'feel' to it. The first book was published in the 80s, the final one in 2015 - the author definitely improved and changed her style over that time, and the books got longer and longer! (In the US/UK editions they actually split some of the longer books into two.) I started reading it when I was about 10, but the series gets more mature as it goes on (think Harry Potter I suppose!).
You mentioned that you like the tropes of the chosen one, animal companions, prophecy and a looming war... it has all of those, but in an unusual way.
I really enjoyed Trail of Lightning by Rebecca Roanhorse. I can't wait for Black Sun!!
Ooh yay!! I really need to pick it up! 😍
Just a tip for those who are interested in The Warded Man. I had been trying to get my hands on it for a while but I could only find it in mass market paperback! Until I found out that it’s also published under The Painted Man and you can find a normal sized paperback in that edition. So now it’s on my shelves 😌 I think one title is the UK publication and the other is the US 🤷🏻♀️
A great underrated series is "The Nightrunner Series" by Lynn Flewelling. Everyone I have introduced it to loves it and ranks it in their top 5.
Trail of Lightning is one of my favorite reads of the year. Love Rebecca Roanhorse. Can't wait for Black Sun. Glad the Sixth World series is getting more attention lately.
ShadowBearSar that’s awesome!! Now I’m even more excited to read it! 😍
Belgariad is 5 books yes, but it has a sequel series lasting another 5 books, with most of the same characters too so the adventure continues. You really get so much time to know and love them.
Omg now you’ve made me really want to prioritize Hood! 😍❤️
I hope you read/love The Belgariad! (I pronounce it the same way you do!) I just read it earlier this year and loved it. It completely re-sparked my love of reading and discovering booktube. My boyfriends mom gave it to me and said her and her sisters would fight over it when they were younger haha the copy I have is one big chunky book that collects the first three (or 4?) books in the series. Feels so nostalgic and classic and I loved it so much!! I hope you do too :)
Wow that’s amazing!! I definitely want to give it a try! 🤩
Legend is my favorite fantasy novel. I also read David Eddings when his novels first came out and I enjoyed. I would recommend Andre Norton's Witch World series, anything by Barbara Hambly and the Deryni series by Katherine Kurtz.
Oh wow that’s so awesome! I really need to prioritize Legend then!
Thanks for those additional recs! Definitely going to check them out!
Be careful reading this. It is a book that stands above and you will always remember and judge other books against.
Legend was amazing and so are the other Drenai stories. The King Beyond The Gate, Waylander etc..
I just found your channel from your crossover with Elliot Brooks. Pawn of Prophecy is the book that got me into reading. I hope you enjoyed it (or will enjoy it)!
Elle is the best! I definitely want to check it out soon! 😄
Your shirt is awesome lol
And I've seen a lot of these mentioned a couple times... they do seem super awesome
Haha thank you 😂
Yeah people were recommending some really good ones here! I’m really wanting to get to all of these now!
Great video! I love seeing backlisted titles. I remember seeing The Belgariad series around back in the day. I tried to read David Eddings's Elenium series twice and just got too bored (though the first book was good). It put me in a long reading slump. 🙈 I loved that Disney Robin Hood movie! I want to watch it again now. 💕🦊💕
So many books! I love that you’re highlighting underhyped books, it’s so good to see some fresh, new recommendations ❤️
Abby Salter thank you Abby 😄❤️❤️
Jessi I think the gutter prayer will be in my TBR . Thanks ,this video is so helpful ,😊
Doesn’t it sound awesome? I’m shocked I’ve never heard of it, glad you enjoyed the video! 😄
Just found your channel, and love your enthusiasm. 😍 Also great to see a bunch of not so talked about books. Thanks. 🙂👌🏻
I’m curious: why are so many books on your shelf turned around with the spine towards the back? 🤔
Xanth series by Piers Anthony is incredible and lots of fun! Would love to hear your thoughts on it!
Courtney Osteen woo definitely checking it out’ 😍
@@JessieMaeBooks I'd recommend starting with book 2 The Source of Magic.
And keep an open mind, it was written in the 70s/80s :p
I remember reading Night Mare when I was 12 (way back in the 90s) and had no idea at the time it was a series. I just picked it up.
Soooooo goood! Told from the perspective of a *horse*, albeit a supernatural being....
I think that was my first fantasy book ever and I've been hooked to the genre ever since.
Great video! I loved the idea of talking about underrated fantasy books. I will check some of these. Also, I have to say that your last video was very helpful, since I decided to look up "Poison Study" and I read at least 5 chapters during my lunch-break, and I am already looking this series up on Amazon. So, thank you!
I’m so glad you enjoyed it! Ahh yay I’m sure V will be soo happy to hear it! 😍
Such great suggestions for my Fantasy TBR 🤗 You should check "Winds of the Forelands" saga by David B.Coe, this is so underrated!!! Thank you for this video which makes me want to swim in an ocean of fantasy!
Ooh yay totally going to check it out! Thanks for the recommendation! 😄
Most of my faves are very underrated. The big ones I'd recommend would be City of Spires by Claudie Arseneault, and The Tarot Sequence by K. D. Edwards.
City of Spires is about an idealistic lord trying to drive a tyrannical empire out of his city. Meanwhile an ancient lord returns to the city after a century of being trapped in a place where time doesn't flow. It deals with loads of themes of identity (race, class, gender, sexuality, etc.) and has a full LGBTQ+ cast. I love it for the characters - they're probably my favourite found family in fiction. But that's not to say the plot isn't good, because it is brilliant. The first book is City of Strife.
The Tarot Sequence is an urban fantasy set in the city of New Atlantis, which is ruled over by the arcana - creatures of immense magical power who are named after the major arcana of tarot. It follows a man called Rune Saint John, who is the last remaining arcana heir to the Sun throne. Unlike most arcana, he's poor and makes a living as a sort of mercenary. He gets hired to investigate the disappearance of another heir, and also gets roped into agreeing to protect another. Lots of potentially triggering content, so I would look up warnings. Also rather a lack of compelling female characters in the first book, but I imagine that probably gets better. The first book is The Last Sun.
Wow!!! Those both sound FANTASTIC! Thank you so much for recommending those, definitely adding both to my list! 😄
I definitely loved the Disney Robin hood 😍 but my favorite is Men in Tights 😂
I definitely want to pick uo the long prince quartet, and gutter prayer sounds super interesting!
The Bookish Mom haha omg I haven’t seen that and now I need to 🤣
@@JessieMaeBooks omg its the best! It had wesly from Princess bride, and Dave Chapelle lol 😆
😂 omg I need this movie in my life
@@JessieMaeBooks its hysterical
I have read The Pawn of Prophecy by David Eddings it's excellent you will enjoy it its classic fantasy at its best I think ;-)
Definitely prioritizing that one! 😊
Weirdly, I think these days they kind of qualify as YA or even Middle Grade fantasy. I read them when I was in my early teens and it worked. They're fast and fun and simple books.
Yes i also read this like 20 years ago.
It was a fun read but like a lot of Adult fantasy in the 90s it was pretty derivative and probably wouldn't hold up to a lot of modern, dynamic fantasy of today if being honest.
Also i David Eddings was involved in some controversy in the past which could taint someones view of his books, just saying! 🤷♂️
David Gemmell is an awesome writer - a dark tone with excellent plot twists. Definitely worth reading! Additional recommendations would be Katherine Kerr's Deverry saga or Jennifer Fallon's Second Sons trilogy - both excellent fantasy series no one ever talks about!
Awesome!! Need to prioritize Legend then 😄
Yay thanks for those recommendations! They’re going on my list! 😄
Love Deverry!! It was one of the first few fantasy series I read & had a huge impact on the way I think about life.
I recently picked up We Ride the Storm and I’m so excited to read it! I love a good war/military fantasy.
Ooh yay I can’t wait to see what you think of it!
Several of these books are on my tbr. One that I think is underrated is the Mageri series & Crossbreed (my favorite) series by Dannika Dark. They're urban fantasy that are set in the same world. There are unique fantasy/paranormal beings in it, & it also puts a new spin on some other types of magical beings we've seen before.
Loved this video, so good to see different fantasy books recommended. My dad loves the demon cycle series so that’s high on my tbr list to read. I’m very intrigued by hood, we ride the storm and trail of lightning ❤️
Yay I’m so glad you found some new ones you want to check out! 😄
I love the Gutter Prayer. You should read it ASAP...The worldbuilding the characters (you'll love the ghoul) everything is just so good. The prologue is great its very interesting and I'm in love with this book😊😊
That’s so awesome to hear! Thanks for helping me prioritize that one haha! 😄
@@JessieMaeBooks Glad I could help✌🏽✌🏽
Jessie Mae, I love your passion for everything reading. You are the true queen of the reading world.
Aw that’s so kind, thank you so much James!
@@JessieMaeBooks I can't wait until your live show. It's gonna be a blast!
Two authors I always try to plug are Elizabeth Haydon with her Symphony of Ages, and KJ Parker with his Engineer trilogy.
Gutter Prayer had some cool ideas, but I didn't end up loving it.
Warded Man I did like. Second half of the series gets some backlash, but I thought they were fine.
Definitely going to check out those authors then!
Ahh bummer about gutter prayer! The premise sounds SO cool!
@@JessieMaeBooks
Would still recommend reading Gutter Prayer , the premise and ideas _are_ very cool. It wasn't bad, was just slightly disappointed..
And please do check out Haydon and Parker, both deserve a lot more attention 😊
I know this an older vid, but I'm relatively new to your channel. I just wanted to say, thanks for mentioning the Belgariad. No one ever talks about it and it's one of my favorite fantasy series.
I can’t wait to read it! 🤩
@@JessieMaeBooks It's definitely old school fantasy, but there is just something about it that stands out to me.
Great video! I’m always looking for lesser known fantasy and would love to see another video from you. One series I would consider a real hidden gem is the Throne of Amenkor trilogy by Joshua Palmatier. I‘m so sad one of my favourites isn‘t getting the love it deserves and talked about more.
Oh definitely adding to my list! Thanks for the recommendation! 😍
Legend and the books of David Gemmell are fantastic, heroic fantasy! His novels i would say, imo read closer to Joe Abercrombie than Sanderson (a bit like John Gwynne i think) in a sword and sorcery kinda way.
His characters like Druss are Conan esque, totally kick ass, virtuoso fighters. So awsome!
The Drenai Saga books however are linked or loosely tied but mostly stand alone stories. I highly recommend! 👍👍
David Gemmell is so good! Legend was the first book of his I read and I was hooked. It is so sad that he passed.
The Stephen R. Lawhead "Hood", "Scarlet", and "Tuck" were a fun trilogy to read. I read them last year while on vacation.
Oh that’s awesome! I’ll bump this one up on the priority list! 😄
Yes, this series has been on my TBR for years. Please read and let me know lol!
Lovely video !! you're a great booktuber :D keep it up !
Elric of melibone, is one to add it used to be popular but it kinda feels forgotten about of late.
I’m reading malice right now. I’m loving it.
The Belgariad is still one of my favorite series. Although the plot is predictable for anyone familiar with classic fantasy tropes. The characters for me are still my favorite ever and make this series worth the read.
That’s so awesome to hear! 😄
Yay! The Warded Man was mentioned! It's not the book that got me into reading but it's the book that made me realize how amazing reading can be. I hope you pick it up and enjoy it. This was a really fun video.
Wow that’s so awesome to hear! And I’m so glad you enjoyed it! 😊
I have three of them. Rosewater. We Ride the Storm and Ruin of kings. All still to be read. Great video as always Jesse.
sharon dwyer oh that’s awesome!! You’ll have to let me know what you think of them 😄
Thank your for the recommendations. I just purchased Gutter Prayer sounds good. I read Pawn of Prophecy ages ago...was okay. Wasn’t my favorite but is definitely classic fantasy.
Oh yay! I look forward to hearing what you think of gutter prayer! 😄
🎶Robin Hood and Little John
Walking through the forest
Laughing back and forth at
What the other has to say
Reminiscing this'n'that
And having such a good time
Ooda-lolly ooda-lolly
Golly what a dayyyyyy🎶
😍😍😍 love that so much!
@@JessieMaeBooks staple of my childhood. 😉
I'm doing the same thing, my 2021 book project is under rated/lesser know fantasy. Ca not wait to see what your list will be maybe we have some of the same ones on it.
i'm glad you've done this vid. i'm always striving to reach for adult fantasy because my instinct is to go to ya. i hadn't even heard of john gwynne so i'm happy to hear about more authors.
Tea 'n' Lit I’m so glad you enjoyed it! I do still love some good YA fantasy 😄
So I think you will really like Trail of Lightning. Maggie reminded me a lot of Geralt (atleast from the short story collections and tv show) in some ways and I guess I just love monster hunting books 😆 and obviously I think you should read Redemption in Indigo 😉 also Jemisin is not as underated anymore but either her Dreamblood Duology or Inheritance Trilogy deserve more love!
Literature Science Alliance omg yes!! I love Geralt so a female version of Geralt sounds awesome haha! And yes! Those are on my list for next year to read! 😍
I've not read the Forgetting Moon yet but the author Brian Lee Durfew also has a UA-cam channel and seems quite a nice and funny guy. At the latest when his series is fully finished I'll read it 100%
aysseralwan oh yay that’s so fun!! I didn’t know that, I’ll have to check it out! 😄
you are so excited about these books you make me want to read them all, which is impossible, but I must try
Awww! Thank you! Haha yes there’s just way too many books and not enough time!
I agree with some of these!!! It is upsetting for a few of them cause they are so good!
I haven’t read any of these but many of them sound intriguing. I already bought The Gutter Prayer based on the recommendation of Justine from the UA-cam channel I Should Read That. I love her channel. She reads lots of fantasy and sci-fi, including many I don’t hear about elsewhere.
SarahAsYouWish oh yay!! I need to go follow her!! 😄
Legend is incredible. Gemmell was an amazing fantasy writer and the real father of grey and complex characters in modern fantasy novels. Technically it is the first of 11 books, however, this one is sort of standalone. The next two do follow on chronologically but there are also books set before Legend. In Legend, Druss is an old man, so there are books that were published later which are about his adventures as a younger man. Gemmell was a major influence on my work and I've had readers tell me that which I take as a huge compliment.
Oooh that’s good to know that Legend could just stand on its own! I’ll have to check out your work as well! 😄
@@JessieMaeBooks if you do read Legend, read the stuff around it after, as the author was battling with something in his private life while writing it and the story reflects that. It's fascinating but I'm an Uber-Gemmell fan! 😆
As someone who doesn't really enjoy classic and classic inspired fantasy (Tolkien/Jordan/Sanderson/etc), I can say that I actually quite enjoyed Belgariad when I read and reread it as a young teen. And while yes, there are few of my least favorite tropes like: the chosen one, prophecies, dark lord, wise old wizard mentor, I actually liked how some of the tropes were handled.
For example, while there is an ultra powerful old wizard, there is actually an equally powerful, no nonsense *_female wizard_* 😮 who keeps him in check (and vice versa) when he starts being all Gandalf/Dumbledore like (speaking only in riddles, being late but saying that wizard is never late, stuff like that).
Also, the prose is much more straight forward (at least the translation was), there is no song break on every second page or detailed lore for _everything_ 😅 even though there were a lot of interesting and different cultures. The books are also quite short, so they are fast to fly through.
All that being said, I never finished the series 😅 because I arrived at the point where _yet another_ of my least favorite tropes was about to happen and I wanted nothing to do with it. So I read and reread the 3.5/5 books in the series multiple times (and am always up for a reread), but don't really have the intention of finishing the series 😅
But, I think that people who enjoy all those classic fantasy tropes or at least don't mind them as much as I do (and also perhaps the people who want to dip their toes into more classic fantasy) could enjoy it lot (and actually finish it 😅)
I don’t even need to go out looking for new books thanks to your channel! 📖📖📖
Haha yay!! Thanks for watching Sam! 😄
Legend was an obscure fantasy book on my TBR for next month. This is the first time I've heard of it on booktube. What a random coincidence.
Oooh you’ll have to let me know what you think!! 😍
Look up The Starchaser Saga by Renee Dugan, the reveal for the third book is coming on September 8th and I am working independently for Renee to help with the reveal. The books are amazing so definitely check her out
Oh awesome, I’ll definitely check it out! 🤩
The long price quartet is one of the most fulfilling series I’ve ever read...The first book tends to be a bit on the slower side but the way it works on to the story for the upcoming books is amazing!!!
Ahh good to know and thanks for helping me prioritize it! 😄
Love David Eddings! The Elenium series my favorite!
Nifty idea! However, David Eddings is not really underrated. For many years he was considered the end-all be-all of fantasy novels, right after Tolkien. These books regularly made the best seller's list. So, not really underrated or under appreciated, but maybe not as well known to younger readers. Thanks for the list!
I haven't heard of most of these but wow these sound so good!
the ruin of kings is soooo good!!!! i read an arc of the third one and its one of my favourite books of the year for sure!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! (although the third one isn't the final book, i think there is going to be more!!)
Omg yay!!! Now I need to prioritize that one for sure! 😍
Check out the sawn’s war trilogy by Sean Russell. Way underrated
I'm guessing you are a Battlestar Galactica fan? I'm OLD so I am a HUGE fan of the original series, but my Best Friend said I needed to watch the new series... Which I started, but quickly got annoyed with "FRAK" and never continued... My friend keeps yelling at me to go back and watch 😁
Mänō haha the shirt is actually from The Office 😂 I haven’t watched battlestar galactica but I’ve heard great things!
Ha ha I know what the Frak u mean😂🤣
black jewels trilogy by anne bishop is amazing
Adding to my list! Thank you! 😄
Huh. There's quite a few of these I haven't heard of, which is always fun. Not that I need more books on my TBR!
I love this! So many books are there that deserve so much love
I’m so glad you enjoyed it! 😍
I loooooved the Warded Man (called the painted man here) it was so good.
Oooh yay I’m glad to hear it! 🤩
I have been looking for books that were not really mainstream and were flying under the radar. Thank you so much for this list.
I can recommend books by John gywn. + The warded man ( that was awesome + overpowered MC - loved it)
Awesome video I love your enthusiasm
Can u make a video about underrated middle fantasy books?
1. fantastic video
2. YOUR SHIRT
Haha thank you Alex! Gotta love The Office 😂
An older book, Michael Whalen cover, great book: Illusion by Paula Volsky.
Five stars for The Warded Man.. one of the best fantasies I have
read. Action packed.. couldn't stop reading it..
That’s so awesome to hear! 🤩
OMG I loved trail of lightning so much!
Oh yay!!! I’m so glad you loved it! I definitely want to prioritize that one!
-The Rain trilogy by Allison J. Kennedy
-Twelve ( The Danilov Quintet 1) by Jasper Kent
- Ace Of Shades by Amanda Foody
-The Rose Mark by Connie Suttle
Checking all these out, thank you for the recs! ❤️
@@JessieMaeBooks Thank you for the video, It's a great idea 💗
I think the Arcane Ascension series by Andrew Rowe deserves more love, it’s an amazing self-pub LitRPG which I never thought I would like, but it definitely sucks you in and is such a fast read for a long book
Oh yay!! I love finding self pub books so definitely want to add that one to my list! Thanks for bringing it to my attention! 😄
Quick question about Malice! I've been thinking of picking up that series for a while, but I'm a bit sensitive to gore. As far as fantasies go, how gory/violent would you say the first book is? (thank you in advance!!)
It was pretty tame compared to other fantasies I’ve read! I wouldn’t describe it as gory! 😄
Hello! Could you review the Lore of HID&GEM / Lore of HDnG? It's a wiki style read with very deep storyline, the fanbases would be super excited to see new reviews and video essays!!!!!!!!
love this i can’t wait to read more of these books
Love this list, lots of new stuff to check.
I feel like you would enjoy Trail of Lightning and sequel. Think Buffy +Navajo .....
Question. What kind of bear is best?
John Galt False. Black bear.
More books to add to the list! 😂 all of them sound so good
bookswithv haha I know I just need to read them all now 😂
I'm surprised Tigana isn't on this list :o
Haha it’ll most likely be on episode 2 of this video 😂
Jessie Mae Looking forward to it :)
Please review SCARLETT LOST IN THE FIVE LANDS by Rajendra Sarilla. It is the most under rated fantasy book. It has many powerful female characters, magic school, dragons, and brilliant war scenes.
Yesssss for the Long Price Quartet!
GREAT VIDEO! LOVE your energy!!😊😊😊
THANK YOU ❤️❤️❤️
Omg you have scheduled live on 4 pm cst but it is 3:30 am in my country 😭😭
Oh noooo! I’m sorry 😭 the live show will still be up on my channel to watch later on though!
@@JessieMaeBooks thank you . I think you are the kindest booktuber I have ever seen 🙏
Nivetha P oh my goodness thank you so much! 😭🥰
the cloud roads by martha wells is a very underrated fantasy book
warded man or the painted man was awesome still have to continue the series
Wooo okay definitely need to prioritize that one then! 😄