The Percy Jackson series is one of my all-time favourites! It’s so fast-paced, fun, and imaginative. The writing style is very simple so maybe if you don’t like middle-grade/YA books you won’t like it. I also really want to try the Earthsea series this year
Yeah, I'm still not convinced that the series will be for me. But I'm happy that you loved it so much! 😁 Also, who knows, I might read it to my kid one day!
@@PetrikLeo Actually they are making a PJ web series, so maybe give that a try first before reading it. Also btw, PJ movie adaptation is considered one of the worst adaptations ever, it's just slightly better than the ATLA adaptation. The entire fandom loves shitting on it.
@@jwinget1999 oh that sounds like a great idea! And yeah, ATLA and Dragon Ball were probably THE worst anime to movie adaptations I've ever seen. Percy Jackson is very close though 🤣
@@PetrikLeo but one think i would say would hook u on this series is the idea and the characters, hope when u read it to your kids, u will stop when they sleep🤣🤣
Perdido Street Station is one of my FAVORITE books! It's quite difficult to get through but very worth it! I'm also not surprised no one has been able to explain the plot to you it's very weird.
Exactly, Evan! Every time I asked about it, people also don't know how to answer it. I think that goes to show the compelling bizarre elements of the series, which in a way is kinda the answer to my questions!
I felt the same about Earthsea going into it. But be assured, the Ghibli adaptation is nithing like the book. It's definitely my least favourite Ghibli movie, but I loved A Wizard of Earthsea and it's beautifully written. Plan on reading His dark Materials this december.
I thought I was the only one who feel that way about the Ghibli adaptation! I'll give A Wizard of Earthsea a try one day! And I hope you'll enjoy His Dark Materials! ☺️
Daevabad trilogy is absolutely incredible I remember quite liking the first book but had a distinct interest in one POV over the other. But the series just gets better and better and I’m so excited to reread it
I might have DNFed it a bit too quickly! I have to give another try one day! I'm curious regarding the praises for Kingdom of Copper and Empire of Gold! 😄
@@PetrikLeo It’s my pretty much perfection for me and hits all my favorite tropes, desert fantasy with magic and djinn and a touch of romance with a ton of politics, so it’s set up to be a favorite of mine❤️
I still love the Dragonlance Chronicles and as you mentioned it was what got me into reading fantasy in the 90s. However we've had a buddy read going for the Chronicles this month, July and August and it seems a lot of new readers have been enjoying it too. I haven't read Lightbringer yet but I've been ripping through the Night Angel trilogy this month. I knocked out both books 1 and 2 in June. I tried Gunslinger (Dark Tower) earlier this year and I wasn't a big fan. I will of course give it and the series another try perhaps next year. I haven't read Percy Jackson, Narnia or Harry Potter yet. There are just so many options to keep a fantasy fan reader busy out there. Thanks for sharing Petrik!
That's so good to hear that a lot of you are enjoying the buddy read on Dragonlance Chronicles! Although I have a lot of reservations regarding Night Angel trilogy, but there's always the chance I'm giving a try someday. Great to hear that many people also enjoyed it! Thanks for watching my video, too! :)
I remember how much you love this series, Stuart! Not gonna lie, it's one of the reasons why it's on my TBR pile! Looking forward to reading it when the last book in the sequel series comes out! Is it next year?
@@PetrikLeo I really hope you don’t hate it then if I’m partly to blame, there’s no release date yet but if the time spans are similar to the first series I would guess October November 2022. Can’t see it being earlier.
The Winternight Trilogy is such a good series, it just gets better with each book. In my opinion, it accomplished everything Uprooted tried to do but failed at, lol. Katherine Arden has really crafted something magical. Also, Strange the Dreamer is definitely a YA series on the surface, but the heavy themes add a deeper layer that you can explore if you want to. Laini Taylor's prose is also extremely lush and beautiful, so it was really easy to become fully immersed in the story she was telling and I loved that. Anyway, this was such a fun video and I hope you enjoy the series you do decide to pick up! :)
Thank you so much, Esmay! "It accomplished everything Uprooted tried to do but failed at" is the best endorsement for Winternight trilogy! 🤣🤣 From what I've read in Strange the Dreamer, I can certainly understand what you're saying. Her prose is so good! 😄
If you were only going to read one of these, I would say it should be The Dark Tower. I wouldn't worry about the Western setting, as the series does not stay completely rooted in that kind of a world, or at least, many genres are blended together by King. Also, you should look at The Gunslinger as sort of an extended prologue, as the rest of the series changes quite a bit from that point. I hope you will also enjoy Memory, Sorrow and Thorn. Knowing your feelings about older fantasy works makes me afraid you won't like it, but I really hope it will work for you, as I love it very much. Good luck, Petrik, hopefully you will end up liking many of these.
Thank you, Dustin! Dark Tower is now on my TBR after what you and everyone here said! As for Tad Williams, many have voiced people who love Hobb's prose will be able to enjoy this and I'm looking forward to it! Plus, despite my reservation regarding older fantasy books, seems like this series is often regarded as the series that bridge classic to modern fantasy. Quite pumped about it! :)
Ursula Le Guin is my favourite author and I can reassure you that the Ghibli adaptation of Earthsea is not at all representative of the books in the slightest. The books did greatly inspire Hayao Miyazaki early in his career though, so if you enjoy other Ghibli works you should definitely try Earthsea. Le Guin's writing is so beautiful and no other author can really compare for me. I would also recommend His Dark Materials. Yes they are aimed at a younger audience and I was a teenager when I originally read them, but I've reread them as an adult and they absolutely hold up in my opinion.
Yeahhh, that movie was so disappointing, and I'm a huge Ghibli movie fans! 😂 I will keep what you said in mind, and try A Wizard of Earthsea one day! As for His Dark Materials, absolutely will give it a read next year!
I would recommend Pratchett's Discwould, enjoy how Patchett observed and presented the obscurities in our life. Of course there are plenty of laughs but the winks among the pages was what I loved the most. The "Watch" thread is my favorite. Branches such as "Going Postal" or "Monster Regiment" are also very enjoyable. The background and context of the society are just as important as plots.
Definitely read the Shannara series. It's true that the first book is a bit derivative, but every book from Elfstones onwards is fantastic. Great characters, and they have that "one more chapter" draw.
Interesting, I think you're one of the few who commented something positive on this series here! I truly appreciate the boost of positivity! Right now, it's still not on my plan to read, but who knows in the future that might change! :)
I haven't finished the New Crobuzon trilogy yet, but I've read Perdido Street Station and LOVED it. As you said, the worldbuilding was freaking incredible - detailed and very unique. The audiobook is great, too. I'm hoping to reread it and finish the series at some point.
That's great to hear, James! Detailed, bizarre, and unique world-building are some of the things that many fans of the series constantly mentioned. I'm looking forward to getting to it one day! :)
Shattered Sea is so good! I find it to be completely different and it’s own thing compared to First Law. City of Brass- I’ve completed the trilogy but it has too much romance for my preference. Dragonbone Chair is excellent so far, I can’t wait to continue! Edit- oh Homeland is also excellent! I loved the first trilogy :) & Strange the Dreamer is a fav of mine!
Oh yes! An endorsement from you means that Shattered Sea stays on my TBR, Brittany! And the same of course goes for Dragonbone Chair, Drizzt, and Strange the Dreamer! 😊
I really liked The Shattered Sea, especially the last two books. It's not an inferior version of The First Law, I like The First Law better but this does its own thing. You should definitely give it a try, Abercrombie always crafts great characters.
Awesome! I'm a HUGE fan of Abercrombie's works on First Law, and despite feeling apprehensive, I know it's likely I'm going to enjoy Half a King when I read it! :)
The Earthsea books and stories are something that, I believe, everyone should experience. Mrs Le Guin's writing, in general, is nothing short of amazing, and I suggest that you give her Hainish Cycle a try. It is some of the best SF (if you could call it only SF) ever written.
Thank you, Nicola! I'll make sure to read Earthsea books! I've actually read two chapters in A Wizard of Earthsea just to see how I feel, and I liked her prose! :)
Hi, Petrik! Great video. I read Homeland a couple of years ago and have quite a soft spot for it. Drizzt as a character is very compelling. Also, learning about drow elves, their culture and values made the reading experience much more fascinating. I had a really good time with the book. Hope you enjoy it, too!
Thank you so much, Tatiana! I've heard many great things about The Legend of Drizzt, usually they mentioned the same reasons you said! I hope I can get to it sooner than later! :)
Petrik, Discworld is my favorite series. It sounds like you gave it your best try, but it just didn't click. That can be disappointing sometimes when you want to like something, but there are so many other series out there and I'm sure you will find something or already have that you love as much as I do Discworld. There are a lot of series mentioned here that I want to try as well. Happy reading my friend. Cheers.
Thank you so much for your understanding! That's exactly what I felt when i read Discworld, I really wanted to love them, but for some reasons they just didn't click with me as much as I hoped. That being said, I will try to at least finish Mort or Guards2 before finalizing my decision to continue or move on to other series! :)
His Dark Materials is a fantastic trilogy - one of my all time favourites. I highly recommend it and definitely read it before watching the series which is also great. I personally really couldn't get into the City of Brass and I wasn't a fan of the Way of Shadows. I definitely want to check out the books by Tad Williams and Ursula K. le Guin. :)
Thank you, Pippa! His Dark Materials will be on my priority TBR for next year! Good to know how much you loved it. I'm not sure when yet, but next time I try City of Brass, I try to really finish it. Seems like it's one of those cases where the first book is really weak in comparison to the rest of the trilogy. I hope both of us will enjoy reading Tad Williams and Guin's books :)
I have read book 1 & 2 from the daevabad trilogy so far, and I'm in love with this trilogy. I have also suffered in the first 25% of the first book but after that I didn't have any complaint at all, and the second book is way better, more politics, more mature, complex characters.. But I don't think that you'll love it as much as we do. But I can also guaranty that you'll enjoy it and don't feel disappointed (🤞🤞), if you continue.. 😁
Thank you so much, Rimi! Yeah, I think I might've DNFed City of Brass too quickly. I wasn't in a patient mood back then! 😂 I'll give it another attempt one day!
I read all 9 books in the Temeraire series and really enjoyed it overall. Pacing is a bit slow in parts, but overall very enjoyable, lots of adventure, love the relationship between Laurence and Temeraire. Be prepared for tragedy after set back, though.
That's great to hear, Laura! I'm not sure when I'll get to this series yet, you know how it is with overwhelming TBR pile! 😂 But at least I know that you and many people love this series!
Ooh! Those Abercrombie books are fab! Highly recommend! If you read any dragonlance books, just stick to the first trilogy by Margaret Weis and Tracy Hickman. They came out with a fourth book that's like the next generation. However, a lot of the other books are written in that world, but not by them. While they did spark a love for fantasy for me, I have also read them later as an adult. I enjoyed them both times. Well I did enjoy The Night Angel Trilogy, I read it before the Lightbringer Series. I don't know if you would enjoy it if you've already read the Light Bringer series, because the writing isn't anywhere near as epic or tight.
I'll give Shattered Sea a try eventually! And noted regarding Dragonlance Chronicles. I'm not sure yet whether I'll ever read them. As for Night Angel, it's odd; I keep on hearing the opposite things from many readers. Hahaha, I guess we'll see what I feel about it if I read it! There were some parts in Lightbringer that seriously impressed me, but disappointed me as well!
@@PetrikLeo I totally get that! Lightbringer had its moments for sure. I don't think I could read the night angel trilogy after it though. I probably put that one on the back burner for a while.
By "forth book" I think you mean "Dragon's of Summer Flame" which while continuing the naming convention, is not the next Weis/Hickman book. "Dragonlance Legends" comes next and is at least equal to Chronicles (and more focused) while tying up a few big threads. Then it could be worth it to do the recent "Lost Chronicles", or the "Raistlin Chronicles" if he's interested in filling gaps and the beginnings. "Summer Flame" has the big issue of having a planned trilogy compressed into one, but it won't make much sense without reading "the Second Generation" Novella collection first. Sorry, I wasn't sure if "just stick to" meant "don't read anymore" or "start here to see how it goes". :)
@@MagusMarquillin @Magus Marquillin Yes, I've read them all many times. What I was trying to explain to Petrick was that it is a continuation that was done far later to that specific trilogy. I don't think that he needs to do Legends or time of the twins or any of the others to understand or enjoy the original trilogy. I was just explaining how the timeline works. I suspect that most advanced fantasy readers are not interested in reading the entire extensive world of dragonlance novels, because the reality is they were written based off of d&d dies. I think that for someone who's read this many books, that it might not be enjoyable to go through that whole series.
@@hillary6563 Sorry, I didn't think it was clear. No it's not necessary to read Legends, just more satisfying, I think - assuming he enjoys his first foray. Take it one at a time though. Of course, not many will be interested on the _entire_ Dragonlance, there's way to much else to read and the quality control isn't always there between so many authors. I'm going to try it though, since my older brother long ago collected most of the books and I've since found the missing ones - I'll do the big ol chronological read on Krynn because it was my gateway fantasy long ago.
I’m surprised you’re from Indonesia. I always thought people in here don’t really like reading fantasy genre. Anyway great video. Keep up the good work. Semoga sukses!
Glad to hear you're going to start R.A. Salvatore's books. Drizzt is one of my favorite characters. And Dragonlance! It's an old series but so entertaining.
Wow Petrik 🤣 This is highly validating for me because I'm always worried to be discredited for not having read these books but hey, I feel better knowing you haven't either. I honestly don't think you will like Percy Jackson. If you had read it when you were younger, maybe. Shattered Seas is actually pretty good.
Trin, we are both validating each other here; yes, I'm validating myself, too! 🤣 Yeah, I'm not putting Percy Jackson in my TBR pile for now! As for Shattered Sea, I will read it next year!
THE DARK TOWER!!! (Saying The Gunslinger didn't capture your attention is heartbreaking). I love His Dark Materials :) This was such a fun video - especially since it often feels like you've read EVERYTHING!
I've tried to get through gunslinger three times now. I understand everybody's obsessed with the series, but I just don't care about the characters even three quarters of the way into the book. If you don't know what's going on and have no connection to the characters, what's the point?
@@hillary6563 Yeah, it's definitely hard to enjoy anything when you're not connecting to the characters! Better to move on to something that you really love reading :)
Hahaha, this is kind like a confession that I, in fact, haven't read everything! 😂 Sorry for breaking your heart, my friend! But I might try Dark Tower again in the future. HIs Dark Materials is definitely on my TBR, though!
@@TheBookCure I kept hearing from people that gets better. Someone else in the comments suggested to start with book two. Would you agree that would be sufficient to get into the series? Gunslinger is one of the few books on my dnf list.
@@hillary6563 honestly, some king fans would probably say it's sacrilege, but I think if you're having that much trouble with book 1, you should read a synopsis and try book 2. Or just read the last chapter or two of Gunslinger (his meeting with Walter), which is basically the only relevant part going forward. The Gunslinger is a huge slog and not really important or referenced much for the rest of the series! :)
Great video, Petrik! I loved The Winternight Trilogy. It made me feel very cold! Also loved His Dark Materials when I read it a few years ago. I'm really looking forward to diving into Ursula K. Le Guin and so many others mentioned in this video. Will
Thank you so much, Will! Winternight trilogy and His Dark Materials are for sure in my TBR, and I'm happy to hear you enjoyed them both. I still have to get to Guin's books and many more as well! 😁
I have many of these books on my kindle lol. The only completed series I've read is The Winternight trilogy by Katherine Arden. It had so much hype i checked it out and fell in love with it. Hope you enjoy it too. A couple of books you mentioned made it to my DNF pile. The Sword of Shanna (i know i most likely misspelled it) bore me to tears. The Gunslinger i had to force myself to read. And with both books I tried to give them a second chance but still came up with the same results. Maybe you'll have better luck lol.
The hype and praises for Winternight trilogy is huge, even Robin Hobb loved it so much. I don't think I can disregard it if Robin Hobb loved it! 😂 As for Shannara, I doubt I'll read it anytime soon or ever. The comments section here seems to completely agree that for Dark Tower, two books are necessary in order to really gauge whether the series will be for us or not. I'm going to attempt it again one day!
I sorta want to try the second book to The Dark Tower however, I have a love/hate thing for Stephen King books. I enjoyed The Shining and Doctor Sleep however I hated, The Gunslinger (as you already know) and surprisingly IT. The movies/TV series to IT i enjoyed but the book i felt was too much. The book could've been edited imo.
petrik's taste in books is very similar to my own, so considering that i would recommend Memory Sorry and Thorne...it is an absolute classic, immersive and very memorable. no doubt you would love it
Memory Sorrow and Thorn is one of those series that I know I'll love, and for whatever reason, it just ends up being postponed non-stop! I hope this year will be the year I get through the first trilogy, at least!
Try the Dark Tower again. I think after the second book is a better place to decide if it has grabbed your interest. Also I definitely wouldn’t characterize it as a western or a western setting.
Will do, Jesse! The comments here have convinced me that I should give the series at least two books before the final decision! I'll make sure to do that! :)
Hi there Patrik. How are you doing? I have great news for you, late this past Wednesday night at about midnight, I finished reading and listening to the Crossroads of Twilight by Robert Jordan. Yay. That book had way too much fluff. I am now ready for book 11, Knife of Dreams.
Legend of Drizzt. 100%. Definitely should be added to your TBR. Homeland is a good place to start. Or you can start with his first published which is The Crystal Shard (Book 4). The first trilogy could/would be considered a prequel. The first book in the next trilogy comes out this year. And while it may be daunting or intimidating it is worth it.
City of brass is the author's debut , you may struggle at the begining but the rest of the series is magical , I hooe you give it another try as I am looking forward to your opinion on it
I read the Percy Jackson books to my kids. They were fun, but I probably wouldn't have read them on my own. I thought I was the only person on the planet that didn't click with Discworld. I've always been kinda scared to admit that. Some people view that as a moral flaw. Lol I love Perdido St Station. I read it several years ago and was just thinking about giving it a reread. Btw, that is an epic shirt. 😍
You didn't click with Discworld, too!? Seriously, that's reassuring. Sometimes it feels like everyone is laughing out loud at his books and brilliance, and I'm like... "what?" 😂 I probably need to read more from his books first, though! Also, so good to hear that you love One Piece and Perdido Street Station, Wendy! New Crobuzon trilogy is in my TBR pile for sure! 😊
Hi Petrik, definitely try them and let us know how they were!! Also, I think the camera settings are a little extreme. The background blur seems a little unnatural, and isn't needed in my opinion 🙂
Try The Dark Tower again! The 1st book is tough and nothing really happens. King is really just feeling out the world and writing the tone. The plot doesn’t take off until book 2 and it takes off quickly and never really stops. It just gets better and better. It’s multi-dimensional so don’t worry about Westerns not being your thing. It doesn’t stick to the Western genre at all and plays with different genres in interesting ways. Some of the most fascinating concepts I’ve read in any fantasy series. As the series progresses King takes risks in big ways, and one particular way that I won’t spoil, but he goes somewhere that most authors wouldn’t even think about attempting , and pulls it off magnificently. And I know some will disagree, but it has a perfect ending.
Thank you so much for your input! It's so interesting to hear this perspective; I didn't realize/know that the first book is widely regarded as being underwhelming compared to the rest of the series. No wonder it didn't grab me back then! I will give the series another attempt up to the second book before making my final decision! :)
"...so that I can experience snow even if it's just an illusion." 😭😂 Oh god I feel you petrik. I mean I live in Singapore so I understand you soooo much
@@PetrikLeo yes I am! Oh really?? Ive never really been to Indonesia, only once to Bali. But I think we are equally humid 😂 btw really love your channel. There are so many fantasy series I want to read now because of you. Thank you for all the amazing reccs :)
You have to read The Dark Tower Series, it is so good. Only the first book is really a "western" setting... the rest is just.... weired... but so good also His Dark Materials is a must read in my opinion, they are very fast reads its the same with Percy Jackson, those books are so much fun and you can probably read them within a day
Yes! The entire Dark Tower series is back on my TBR after I posted this video! 😉 Also, His Dark Materials is one of my priority series to read next year! 😄
Definitely give Earthsea a go the ghibli adaptation is way off the mark but Goro Miyazaki did try. Le Guin has an amazing talent for getting across dense and thought provoking material in a succinct accessible way and these books really show how much she paved the way for the current fantasy boom.
I've always liked the books you liked and look for your review first on Goodreads if I am planning to read them. Having said that, I like Reckoners series and finished each book in a day. For His Dark Materials, I probably will go with the tv show because it's very original to book and for me the book was for childrens. Please make another video about the books we made you decided to try from this list.
I recommend that you read His Dark Materials, before you watch the new tv series (which I think is pretty good). But you want to get the full story, the full picture first I think. But then I always think the book should be read before any film or tv adaptation.
Petrik, it sounds like you'd prefer to read more mature, adult series rather than YA. With that in mind I'd recommend "Memory, Sorrow & Thorn" as the topmost pick from that list with Kushiel's trilogy a close second. China Mieville may also appeal but is an acquired taste. Avoid Abercrombie's Shattered Seas trilogy, not because it's bad, but it's nothing like the First Law books in tone and is very definitely aimed at a younger audience. Don't be afraid to give "His Dark Materials" a go ... whilst at first glance it seems aimed towards younger readers there are layers/themes that adult readers will pick up on and appreciate. Good reading :)
You're absolutely right that I prefer adult fantasy more than YA fantasy! So I appreciate your thoughts and recommendations! I think I'll end up reading all the series you just mentioned, but some I'll approach with lower expectations! Better that way than being disappointed! :)
I've read the Strange the Dreamer duology & really liked it! & I attempted the Chronicles of Narnia when I was younger & I can't remember how far I got, but it wasn't for me. Other than that, I haven't read any of the series you listed either! 😅
Can't wait to see what you'll think of The Dark Elf trilogy! It has very simplistic writing style but the characters are so compelling, I love Drizzt and his magic panther so much.
I'm quite excited for this series, Alena! You loving it is a good endorsement, too. Once I start reading it, I'm going to let you know! Looking forward to knowing about Drizzt and his magic panther! :)
I loved the Daevabad trilogy, but am not sure if you would like the rest given you have struggled with the first book. While it gets better overall and picks up, the writing is still the same, the characters are still the same, etc. But try the Drizzt series! I only read the first trilogy and it’s so much fun. Eventhough it’s 30+ books, they are all rather short, so it’s actually not that much. Compared to i.e., Malazan where every book is a tomb. ;)
Thank you for input!! Yeah, I think if I do try the series again, I'll see whether I can finish the first book or not. The prose didn't really click for me, after all. As for Drizzt, I'm looking forward to trying the books!! I'll see how I feel on Dark Elf and maybe Icewind Dale trilogy first before deciding to submit myself to the other 30 books! xD
@@PetrikLeo one thing to note is that book 1 is WILDLY different from the rest of the series. Luckily it's short. But it's a slog for most people (myself included) and turns a fair amount off. But Drawing of the Three is so good. I would really try to get to atleast book 2 before deciding on it.
@@PetrikLeo Bear in mind that "The Gunslinger" is the worst installment in the series, it's far from being a good start; "The Drawing of the Three" is an astonishingly better book.
I picked up City of Brass recently. I heard similar things but also heard that the ending is really good! I've wanted to read Drizzt as well but everytime I think of the amount of books in the series, I second guess that :D. The Gunslinger is the only book in the Dark Tower with that type of feel. Book 2 changes that feel immediately.
I might just have to give City of Brass another attempt, and this time hopefully finish it. As for Drizzt, I think having the series divided into multiple sub-series like Robin Hobb's books makes it less daunting! At least that's how it feels on my mind! 😂 And noted regarding Dark Tower, everyone in the comments said that. So cool to know!
I have half a king, but haven't read it yet either lol City of Brass was good, I just finished it but need to read books 2 and 3 Winternight is on my Winter TBR too I think, living in FLorida we don't get very cold either so this will be me enjoying winter without real snow lol
I have Half a King for a while now, I'll try to get to it next year because Abercrombie won't have any book out next year! Let's hope we'll enjoy our imaginary cold and snow through Winternight trilogy! 🤣
I'm reading Discworld in publication order (which I think it's the best option if you want to commit to read the whole series). Right now I am reading book 26. One or a couple of books wont show you the whole view of what discworld is. The stories are connected in some way, and you will see the evolution of the characters while you read more and more books. I think the second book in the city watch is much better that guards, guards, and the color of magic is definetely not the best book in the series. But, that is why you have to contiue reading to see the progress in the story and characters.
Thank you! I'm not committed to read the whole series yet, but I'll try to read a book or two its completion first before completely disregarding the series! 😂
@@PetrikLeo ah It's ok. I am just saying in case you feel you dont understand why people like this series, and you feel you dont enjoy that much, or that you feel there are missing things. Some people say you can read any book in any order. You can, but you will miss many things, many jokes, you need to read it in order, either publication or by subseries, otherwise you wont understand that some books are connected between each other and they follow a story line. I made a video in case you feel checking it. I love reading scifi and fantasy, but discworld was something new for me and I am really enjoying this series.
Yes! You should read Memory, Sorrow and Thorn! I read the first 3 Shannara books as a teen, and while I enjoyed them at the time, I wouldn't want to read them now. I read Wizard of Earthsea when I was like 12, and liked it a lot, but that was along time ago, so I've no idea what I'd think about it now. Still, I plan on reading the whole series at some point. Terry Pratchett!! 💖💖
I actually preferred The shattered sea to First law books (i read 6 of them), and i mainly read adult fantasy. It's less grimdark but has many truly epic moments and characters.
Oh really? That's intriguing! I don't often hear readers preferring Shattered Sea over First Law! Despite my apprehension, I know I'll end up reading through the trilogy one day. I hope I'll enjoy it as much as you did with the right expectations!
@@PetrikLeo i think many Abercrombie fans just didn't read the shattered sea because of the YA classification, and those who did didn't find the specific voice of the author they love, that humour and adult sarcastic tone, because it's different and more "classic fantasy"... But really really good anyway.
"His Dark Materials" one of the greatest fantasy trilogies of all time, perhaps my # 2 after LOTR,, so not for children, book 3 perhaps one of the greatest books with a climax that took me days to get over emotionally.
So The Crystal Shard in Salvatore's Icewind Dale trilogy is what got me back into reading after I was out of school. I loved it and started consuming his books like mad and made it through about 30 from this and different series. They were a lot of fun to read. The interesting thing with him though, is that some of his best works are the books that aren't about his main protagonist, in this case Drizzt. I held off on Night Angel forever but ended up really loving that series as well.
Whoa that's so cool! And interesting tidbits regarding his side character being some of his best works for you! I'm going to plan my reading before diving into this series! :) Good to hear Night Angel worked for you, too!
An amazing list! Many series on this list are on my list, too! THE CITY OF BRASS does have a slow start, but it's due to the character development and the world-building elements; by the time you read the rest of the trilogy, everything falls into place and you don't have to consult anything else. You made an excellent point about the WINTERNIGHT TRILOGY! How would readers who've never experienced "winter" interpret the story? Let me know when you read either KUSHIEL or EARTHSEA because I need to read them, too. HIS DARK MATERIALS was published as a YA/Adult series. I read them when I was in high school, and I preferred that series over HARRY POTTER (both series were published at the same time). There are adult themes in the books and one of the reasons for that is because the author was a professor at Oxford University (just like Carroll, Lewis & Tolkien). Let me know when you start reading that series and we'll chat!
Thank you so much! I will give City of Brass and the trilogy a try again one day! I've never experienced winter before in my entire life, it would be interesting to see how the trilogy will feel to me. You will see in my TBR videos when I'm going to read Kushiel and Earthsea! Or all the other series really hahaha. And regarding His Dark Materials, the same thing happened in my country, too. That's why I always thought it was a series targeted for younger audience!
Dude, Shattered Sea is awesome. Abercrombie is my favourite author and First Law is my favourite series, and, still, I highly recommend reading Shattered Sea - ESPECIALLY if you like First Law and Abercrombie's characterizations. It's a quick read and absolutely worth the time, it also doesn't read like YA at all. Also, the Bas-Lag books by Mieville are genius. Hard to describe, since they're so unique, but genius. Best I can do is tell you they have a similar feel to Disco Elysium. In regard to the Drizzt series, I'd recommend reading both the Dark Elf and the Icewind Dale Trilogies. Dark Elf is a great start to the series and give you all the background you need to get to know Drizzt, it is a bit different in tone to most of the other books, when he is actually out in the world and adventuring with his friends. Much like Shattered Sea, both Drizzt trilogies are quick reads.
Thank you for your kind and informational comment! Yeah, I think Shattered Sea is one of those series that I feel kinda not sure about, but once I get into it, I have a good feeling I'm going to enjoy it, too. I mean, it's Abercrombie! He can't do any wrong from my perspective! 😂 Also, I will definitely read Bas-Lag and try The Legend of Drizzt! Ah so many books to read!
The City of Brass I recently bought and want to read some time in the near future (like so maaaaany other books), the Night Angel trilogy has also many fans and was recommended to me by a dear friend who also got me into Mistborn (which I loved). I LOVED The Dark Tower books. But it seems to be a hit or miss. Some love it, some hate it. I feel like you are too old and too much into darker fantasy than to like C.S. Lewis and Philipp Pullman. But I have only read the first books by them, so I might be wrong due to lacking knowledge about them.
I have so manyyyy other books I want to read, too, HELP! xD But thank you for your input! I think out of the series mentioned here, after reading the comments, my motivation on Dark Tower is the one that changed the most. I was ready to completely put it off, but now I'm quite interested to give the series another try! :)
First of all - I love that t-shirt! (One Piece is my favorite fantasy story) 🏴☠️😁 And here's my experience with a couple of the series from your list, hopefully they will be of some use to you 🙂 : - *The Sword of Shannara* - I read the first and half of the second book a long time ago. And even though, at that time, I haven't read LOTR, the story beats sounded very cliché, even to the kid me - a farm boy gets a fellowship and a quest to go retrieve a powerful magical item. I'd say, if you are super into classic fantasy tropes used in a very standard way, then give it a shot, otherwise, maybe not 🤷♀️ I, myself, am actually interested in trying out another series by Terry Brooks - *Magic Kingdom for Sale/Sold* - which is supposedly a fantasy comedy where a normal guy from our world buys a ruined magic kingdom by chance and needs to fix it up, which sounds quite funny - *The Witcher* - As a Slavic person, I was quite happy to find a translation in Serbian (aka my native language) of that series, as I was adamant not to read it in English, but only in Serbian, as I believe that the humor and the wordplay would translate much better from one Slavic language to another, rather than from a Slavic language to English. However... *The Last Wish* (the book) opens up with a random sex scene and while I'm not opposed to sex scenes, as a romance reader as well, I _need_ some romance to lead into it, rather than having it there purely, imo, for the gratification of male audience and to show just how irresistible Geralt is, as that random lady pretty much feels _so_ hot and bothered that she practically throws herself at him 🙄 After which I promptly said "No thanks, not for me" and DNF-ed the whole thing 😅 But as I think I've seen some cutscenes of the game where more or less a similar things happen (never played the game myself), something like that might not bother you 🙂 (Also, while I was watching the first season of the Netflix series, which in turn inspired me to pick up the books, I felt absolutely annoyed with just how much everyone blabber about "the fate" 🙄 ) - *Earthsea* - I pretty much DNF-ed the first book half way through for a number of reasons: 1. I don't like classic fantasy or any of the tropes that go with it (I quite dislike LOTR and have gripes with it, so, I guess, take my words with reservation, as opinion such as mine is,from what I gathered, a sacrilegious one in our fantasy community 😂), and Earthsea is chockful of classic fantasy tropes -a farm boy chosen one, a magic school (but only for boys!), "wise" old wizard mentors with great long beards that only speak in riddles, "true speech" type of magic, good old "good vs evil", etc etc 2. The whole thing of male magic users being perceived as good wizards, but female magic users being perceived as evil witches, which bothers me a lot, especially so coming from a female author! Now, to be fair, I never finished the book(s), so I can't say if that perception itself was something that the author wanted to explore and debunk and so purposefully added into her story 3. The protagonist was very unlikeable, which grated on a character driven reader like me very much 4. I found the story to be very boring I'd say if you like the classic stuff, and, considering just how many people love that series, there's a huge chance of you actually liking that story 🙂 - *Discworld* - As someone who loves One Piece, I'd expect from myself to actually like Discword. But that wasn't my experience. I read 2 books in Discworld - *The Color of Magic* and *Mort* . The Color of Magic I found boring while Mort I disliked with a passion. That was actually the book where I discovered that one of my least favorite tropes of all time is "personification of death", so that was more of a me problem, rather than a book problem 😅 I have, however, read a non - Discworld trilogy of his - *The Bromeliad Trilogy* and that one I did found funny, but nothing special. My problem with enjoying Pratchett seems to be that, while I love lighthearted and wacky fantasies, I need them to be heartfelt. And heart is something that I didn't find in his stories 🤷♀️ - *His Dark Materials* - Oh, I love HDM! (Finally one series on this list that I have read and loved - sorry about all the negativity 😅) It was my favorite series as a child and when I reread it in 2019, it absolutely holds up, imo, at least! I love it despite the fact that I don't really care about religion in my books. But this one has such charming characters, interesting places and magic systems (spec in the 2nd book) that I loved it all the same. (And I also think that that movie with Nicole Kidman wasn't that bad, more that it ends before the end of the book, which is frustrating) - *Narnia* - I loved the movie, the books felt pretty meh to me (I read 4 or 5 put of 7, I think), even if isekai/portal fantasies are one of my favorite types of fantasy. The religious themes didn't really click with me, the characters were neither here or there regarding my... well, regard for them, the whole good vs evil thing yet again, I wasn't really a fan how Lewis dealt with "children living through emotionally horrific life circumstances and using their imagination to help them get through it" (I much preferred how it was done in *Bridge to Terabithia*, for example), but, most likely, I probably didn't read it at the right age, so its magic was probably lost on me 😅 Sorry for this tome of a post, hopefully some of it might end up being useful to you 😊
Ohhh fellow fans of One Piece! It's always a delight to find another fans! For Shannara, as you said, that's kinda what I expected from the series. I don't think I'll read the series anytime soon, or ever, unless for the purpose of getting to know more of the classic. Witcher - I think that's a valid reaction for you to have. Although that scene didn't really bother me when I first read it, I know that other readers have agreed that it annoyed them, too! So you're definitely not the only one on this. Earthsea - It's unfortunate that this one didn't click for you, too! That being said, Earthsea is a beloved series, and many have consider it as one of the integral series to try. I think I will try and see how I feel about it. I have actually read Guin's writing just to try, and I liked what I've read so far! Hopefully that stays through to the end! Discworld - Again, too bad this one didn't work, too! But hey, I understand what you're saying on this. I haven't finished Mort or Guards2, but what I've read so far hasn't impressed me yet. I will try to finish them before finalizing my decision! But I'm happy you loved His Dark Materials! Haha, at least there's something you really enjoyed here. The movie has been out for a long time and I can't say I remember much of it, however I do remember that I didn't find it as bad as everyone said. But who knows, maybe if I had read the book, I would agree with them, too! xD Anyway, no need to apologize for the long message. I appreciate hearing your thoughts on these series! Thank you for watching! :)
Hey Petrik! I would recommend you give the second book in the dark tower series a try. While the first book does feel like a typical western, the second book really introduces new tropes and genres. You can decide after that if you wanna continue or not. Like the series or not, I think you will find it very difficult to find anything similar to dark tower in fantasy. Great video!🙂
Thank you so much! 🙂 Yeah, I'm glad I made this video. Like you, many Dark Tower fans have said to give the series another try and that the first book isn't a good representation of the series!
I decided I have to read The Dragonbone Chair after I fell in love with the 6th book’s cover at the library 3 weeks ago 😂🤣😂🤣🤷🏼♀️ you should do a read along! It’ll give me the push I need 😂
Not yet. I did read 200 pages (i think) but I fell ill, and I couldn't bring myself to continue. Might have to try it again one day, that book is HUGE. I haven't done any tag on my channel yet, I'm not really sure about the rules on it, I'll probably just do a best books of 2021 so far video instead!
Definitely you should try the first trilogy of Drizzt, I really enjoy them especially since I was a long time AD&D player/dungeon master so the setting/world/story was very familiar. If you like it then you can go to the next trilogy which is the Icewind Dale trilogy. As for the Witcher if you have like the last wish then sword of destiny would feel similar (it's also different short story), you will be able to also learn more about the beginning of Ciri.
I haven't started the Temeraire series yet, but from what I can tell, that series is quite different from both Uprooted and Spinning Silver. I keep hearing the word "military" happen a lot when people talk about Temeraire, and that certainly isn't a word I'd apply to either of the others!
I've read only Uprooted (hated it so much) and I have Spinning Silver on my TBR this year. I think if I end up loving Spinning Silver, I'll put Temeraire on my TBR pile! 😁
I've read the 1st Temeraire and it was very good. The only reason I haven't continued is lack of time, but I'll get there. I read the first 1/3-1/2 of Uprooted before tapping out and they are NOTHING alike. Uprooted and (from what I hear) Spinning Silver are more fairytale based with all the fantasy feeling that brings, while Temeraire is military fantasy with dragons.
I started my Fantasy journey with The Hobbit and the Lord of the Rings. Then read Narnia, then Earthsea. As for this list, I haven't read many of these either. Memory, Sorrow, and Thorn is fantastic. I'm waiting just a bit before starting the Last King of Osten Ard as well. And will probably reread the first trilogy before I do so. As for Shannara, the first book, The Sword of Shannara, is very LotR. But from the second book (The Elfstones of Shannara) onwards, Brooks does a good job of building his own world. I've read the first seven (publication order) in that series so far and have enjoyed them.
That's my plan for reading Osten Ard Saga, too, but I might read Memory, Sorrow, and Thorn this year just to check how I feel! If they're that great, I'm sure I want to reread them in the future! :)
The first book of The Daevabad Trilogy was not my favorite. It suffers from a lot of tropes (not that tropes are necessarily bad, but in this case, it didn’t click for me) and maybe some debut writing clunkiness. But I flew through the second and third book so fast, it improved vastly from the first. P.S. I looked at your review of Uprooted when you mentioned it and I feel validated about hating it when most of my friends loved it. Thank you lmao
So assuring to hear that, and even more so because you hated Uprooted, too. When I hear Uprooted is labeled as romantic, I want to pull my hair off. The romance there drove me to insanity. xD
China Meiville series are 3 standalone stories set in an interconnected world. I really enjoyed the Scar and i have been wanting to read Perdido Street Station. Kushiels Dart has what has to be one of my favourite opening chapters i have read.
Oh, I actually didn't know that it's a series of standalone books!! Thanks for letting me know. I'll keep this trilogy in my TBR! 😀 I know right!? I've tried the first chapter of Kushiel's Dart and was so impressed by Carey's prose!
I'm about to finish the last book of the shattered sea. As for you, Abercrombie is my favourite author. And i don't feel that is just an inferior version of first law. If you start it knowing it's YA, you'll really enjoy it. Because it's still Abercrombie and he writes awesome. I'm 35 and i'm enjoying it so much
City of Brass is really good! I liked the worldbuilding and the politics especially! Only thing I didn’t like was the romance, but that is thankfully not a big part
I was afraid the romance was going to be a big part. I've read only a little, and I can already see there will be a love triangle between the Nahri, Dara, and Ali.
Yes you really should give shattered sea trilogy a chance I haven't heard a lot of people talk about this series that much It's really good and the city of brass trilogy is so great and so is the dark tower series I have only read four of the books in the series but three of them are my most favorite books from king 💝💖🤗😉
Thank you, Cynthia! These three series will be in my TBR from now on! Well, Shattered Sea already is, but now City of Brass and Dark Tower are back in it! 😂
You’ve listed some great series, Petrik! I’d be very interested to hear your thoughts on Strange the Dreamer and The Bear and The Nightingale. I’m with you on Discworld though...I just don’t really click with his writing or humour...and I’m from the UK too 😳 and I get British humour, just not Pratchett’s unfortunately. Hopefully you might do better with him when you next pick up Guards! Guards! 👍
Thank you, Lauren! Winternight trilogy should be on my TBR this year. Probably near the end of the year, so you'll probably hear me talking about it in future videos! As for Discworld, yeah... both Guards2 and Mort are so beloved by many readers, I am curious whether it's just a reading mood thing or maybe Pratchett's style really isn't for me. But I'll try to really finish both of them before deciding to cross him off my TBR! :)
Also you should read lion Witch and the wardrobe - it’ll take you like 1 hour to read it. It’s short and pretty easy. If you like it then Read prince caspian and voyage of the drawn treader. This series is less a continued story and more episodic
Hi Petrik, Completely different question here. If you are interested, please make a channel read along for any of the books from your TBR. It will be fun.
"oh that rhymes" 😂 It is such a relief to know that you haven't actually read every fantasy book ever made! His Dark Materials is definitely worth it :) and totally agree about the books being much better than the movie. Unfortunately the books got categorised as YA because the main protagonist is a young girl but this is in my view much more of an adult book.
Hahaha! I know sometimes it seems as if I've read every fantasy books, but there's still a LOT of fantasy books I haven't read! There's still more and more beyond this list! 😂 I'll definitely check out His Dark Materials!
Dark Materials are not kids books. They are quite simply brilliant and Pullman is a fantastic writer. One of the best series I have ever read and his world building is unique. The man is a genius.
Good to know, Paul! The series was marketed heavily as children's books when I was young, and I think that kinda stuck with me somehow. But it's good to hear from many readers that it may be a marketing mistake! ☺️
@@PetrikLeo I read the series only a few months ago and even as an Adult who purely and mostly reads Adult fantasy I think this is definitely in my top 5 it’s so unique
Dark materials can be read by kids - but there are so many layers to the series. This is one of the best example of book which differently for different ages
A couple of thoughts: Joe Abercrombie- I've not yet read First Law, but plan to. And if he's really good as an author, I imagine he can still pull a good YA series too. Discworld- I have not read either. I'm hesitant to read anything that people find 'hilarious '. Not unless I'm convinced that it's a sense of humor that jives with me. So, I'm with you on that. Dark Tower-- I would love the chance to sell you on this series. Especially if you're able to muscle thru that first book. Gunslinger was rather weak, and was the only one (I think?) in a western setting. The next one is in New York City mostly, and the third is just all over the place. I think once you start the second book, it's going to hook ya
You're very right on your first thought, I really should believe more in him especially because he's one of my favorite authors! xD Yeah, humor is one of the most hit and miss element in storytelling, imo. What I've read so far from Discworld definitely weren't funny/hilarious to me. Now for Dark Tower... the series is back on my TBR! I'm going to finish two books in the series before deciding whether to give up or continue with it. So surreal (and reassuring) to hear practically everyone here mentioned that the first book isn't a good presentation of the series! :)
@@PetrikLeo That's cool, because I think that the second book is easily a deciding factor. If book two does pull you in, then it's fair to say it's not for you. But I will say this, book two of Dark Tower is NoTHinG like the first. A whole different feel, and quite a faster pace.
Hi! You should really give Temeraire a chance. It's an amazing series, and it has dragons:). FYI: I also hated Uprooted so I don't think it reflects on the enjoyment you may get from Temeraire.
im with you on discworld, i tried two of them and on paper i was supposed to love them but they just fell quite flat for me, i dont think i'll be reading any more
@@PetrikLeo Terry Pratchett was a genius. But his absurdist humour doesn't appeal to everyone and I'd suggest moving on if "Guards ! Guards !" didn't resonate with you. I felt the same way, if it's any consolation.
I'm really enjoying Earthsea so far, finished the 1st book last night and really enjoyed it. I own the first Night Angel book but I can't seem to get interested in reading it right now.
The Night Angel series is actually pretty good, but the first book does start off a bit slow. I actually read all of those before reading the lightbringer series.
Book 2 of The Dark Tower in my opinion is on a whole different level to book 1. You should give book 2 a try before deciding on the series- it’s so good
I read both the Night Angel trilogy and the Steelheart trilogy and loved them, BUT, they were my introductions to Brent Weeks and Brandon Sanderson. If I had read their other works first, I probably wouldn't have enjoyed them as much. They're more of a place to start, not something to go back to.
Awesome video,didn't know that there are series you haven't read yet 😅.OMG,low blow to Allen,you DNF Mort and Guards Guards,a great example how reading is subjective.I read Percy Jackson last year and it was pretty good but if you like mostly adult fantasy,I don't think you will enjoy this one.(A lot of repetitive tropes-school setting,chosen one,prophecy).It's great for kids who already enjoyed Harry Potter.
Ssssttt, don't tell Allen about this sacrilege! 😁 But yeah, just goes to show how subjective reading can be. As for Percy Jackson, I think I won't read it anytime soon. I will probably read it to my kids someday!
Wow so many of these are on my series tbr too. Notably tad Williams I need to get into as I tried when I was too young for the prose. Personally I enjoyed half a king and steelheart and Sanderson is about to put out another book on audio in the series. For dark tower do not get put off by the gunslinger I love the series as a whole but honestly book 1 still makes no sense to me. Enjoy❤️
Thank you, Ellyn! I'll try to fit Shattered Sea and Reckoners for next year read. As for Dark Tower, it seems like from the comments the majority kinda agree that the first book isn't a good representation of the series. I'll have to give it a go again!
I recently finished Dragons of Autumn Twilight after first (and last) reading it over 20 years ago: it definitely doesn't hold up, but I think it would be a good start into fantasy (as it was mine). I'm actually doing a readalong of the Winternight trilogy starting in December, if you wanted to join!
Yeah, I have a feeling that might be the case for Dragonlance! xD Thank you for inviting me, I'm still not sure when I'll actually read Winternight trilogy, but if it ends up being in December, I'll take you up on that offer!! :)
The Percy Jackson series is one of my all-time favourites! It’s so fast-paced, fun, and imaginative. The writing style is very simple so maybe if you don’t like middle-grade/YA books you won’t like it. I also really want to try the Earthsea series this year
Yeah, I'm still not convinced that the series will be for me. But I'm happy that you loved it so much! 😁 Also, who knows, I might read it to my kid one day!
@@PetrikLeo Actually they are making a PJ web series, so maybe give that a try first before reading it.
Also btw, PJ movie adaptation is considered one of the worst adaptations ever, it's just slightly better than the ATLA adaptation. The entire fandom loves shitting on it.
@@jwinget1999 oh that sounds like a great idea! And yeah, ATLA and Dragon Ball were probably THE worst anime to movie adaptations I've ever seen. Percy Jackson is very close though 🤣
@@PetrikLeo but one think i would say would hook u on this series is the idea and the characters, hope when u read it to your kids, u will stop when they sleep🤣🤣
Perdido Street Station is one of my FAVORITE books! It's quite difficult to get through but very worth it! I'm also not surprised no one has been able to explain the plot to you it's very weird.
Exactly, Evan! Every time I asked about it, people also don't know how to answer it. I think that goes to show the compelling bizarre elements of the series, which in a way is kinda the answer to my questions!
I felt the same about Earthsea going into it. But be assured, the Ghibli adaptation is nithing like the book. It's definitely my least favourite Ghibli movie, but I loved A Wizard of Earthsea and it's beautifully written. Plan on reading His dark Materials this december.
I thought I was the only one who feel that way about the Ghibli adaptation! I'll give A Wizard of Earthsea a try one day! And I hope you'll enjoy His Dark Materials! ☺️
The Ghibli movie was a classic compared to that tv series. Stay away from that too please
Daevabad trilogy is absolutely incredible I remember quite liking the first book but had a distinct interest in one POV over the other. But the series just gets better and better and I’m so excited to reread it
I might have DNFed it a bit too quickly! I have to give another try one day! I'm curious regarding the praises for Kingdom of Copper and Empire of Gold! 😄
@@PetrikLeo It’s my pretty much perfection for me and hits all my favorite tropes, desert fantasy with magic and djinn and a touch of romance with a ton of politics, so it’s set up to be a favorite of mine❤️
I still love the Dragonlance Chronicles and as you mentioned it was what got me into reading fantasy in the 90s. However we've had a buddy read going for the Chronicles this month, July and August and it seems a lot of new readers have been enjoying it too. I haven't read Lightbringer yet but I've been ripping through the Night Angel trilogy this month. I knocked out both books 1 and 2 in June. I tried Gunslinger (Dark Tower) earlier this year and I wasn't a big fan. I will of course give it and the series another try perhaps next year. I haven't read Percy Jackson, Narnia or Harry Potter yet. There are just so many options to keep a fantasy fan reader busy out there. Thanks for sharing Petrik!
That's so good to hear that a lot of you are enjoying the buddy read on Dragonlance Chronicles! Although I have a lot of reservations regarding Night Angel trilogy, but there's always the chance I'm giving a try someday. Great to hear that many people also enjoyed it! Thanks for watching my video, too! :)
His Dark Materials is a must I’m waiting to do my third reread when the last book in the sequel series comes out
I remember how much you love this series, Stuart! Not gonna lie, it's one of the reasons why it's on my TBR pile! Looking forward to reading it when the last book in the sequel series comes out! Is it next year?
@@PetrikLeo I really hope you don’t hate it then if I’m partly to blame, there’s no release date yet but if the time spans are similar to the first series I would guess October November 2022. Can’t see it being earlier.
@@stuart1346 awesome! Thanks for the info. This series will be read in 2022! 😊
The Winternight Trilogy is such a good series, it just gets better with each book. In my opinion, it accomplished everything Uprooted tried to do but failed at, lol. Katherine Arden has really crafted something magical.
Also, Strange the Dreamer is definitely a YA series on the surface, but the heavy themes add a deeper layer that you can explore if you want to. Laini Taylor's prose is also extremely lush and beautiful, so it was really easy to become fully immersed in the story she was telling and I loved that.
Anyway, this was such a fun video and I hope you enjoy the series you do decide to pick up! :)
Thank you so much, Esmay! "It accomplished everything Uprooted tried to do but failed at" is the best endorsement for Winternight trilogy! 🤣🤣
From what I've read in Strange the Dreamer, I can certainly understand what you're saying. Her prose is so good! 😄
If you were only going to read one of these, I would say it should be The Dark Tower. I wouldn't worry about the Western setting, as the series does not stay completely rooted in that kind of a world, or at least, many genres are blended together by King. Also, you should look at The Gunslinger as sort of an extended prologue, as the rest of the series changes quite a bit from that point. I hope you will also enjoy Memory, Sorrow and Thorn. Knowing your feelings about older fantasy works makes me afraid you won't like it, but I really hope it will work for you, as I love it very much. Good luck, Petrik, hopefully you will end up liking many of these.
Thank you, Dustin! Dark Tower is now on my TBR after what you and everyone here said! As for Tad Williams, many have voiced people who love Hobb's prose will be able to enjoy this and I'm looking forward to it! Plus, despite my reservation regarding older fantasy books, seems like this series is often regarded as the series that bridge classic to modern fantasy. Quite pumped about it! :)
Ursula Le Guin is my favourite author and I can reassure you that the Ghibli adaptation of Earthsea is not at all representative of the books in the slightest. The books did greatly inspire Hayao Miyazaki early in his career though, so if you enjoy other Ghibli works you should definitely try Earthsea. Le Guin's writing is so beautiful and no other author can really compare for me.
I would also recommend His Dark Materials. Yes they are aimed at a younger audience and I was a teenager when I originally read them, but I've reread them as an adult and they absolutely hold up in my opinion.
Yeahhh, that movie was so disappointing, and I'm a huge Ghibli movie fans! 😂 I will keep what you said in mind, and try A Wizard of Earthsea one day!
As for His Dark Materials, absolutely will give it a read next year!
I would recommend Pratchett's Discwould, enjoy how Patchett observed and presented the obscurities in our life. Of course there are plenty of laughs but the winks among the pages was what I loved the most.
The "Watch" thread is my favorite. Branches such as "Going Postal" or "Monster Regiment" are also very enjoyable.
The background and context of the society are just as important as plots.
Thanks for letting me know! I definitely plan to try Discworld one more time someday! It could be I was in the wrong mood back then! :)
I love the Daevabad trilogy so much!!
Strange the Dreamer is sold as Adult in the UK.
I hope to love these two series when I read them, Abby!! :)
Definitely read the Shannara series. It's true that the first book is a bit derivative, but every book from Elfstones onwards is fantastic. Great characters, and they have that "one more chapter" draw.
Interesting, I think you're one of the few who commented something positive on this series here! I truly appreciate the boost of positivity! Right now, it's still not on my plan to read, but who knows in the future that might change! :)
+1 vote for Kushiel (I’ve only read the first trilogy, and long ago at that, but loved it.)
Phedre's trilogy, right? I look forward to reading it! ☺️
I haven't finished the New Crobuzon trilogy yet, but I've read Perdido Street Station and LOVED it. As you said, the worldbuilding was freaking incredible - detailed and very unique. The audiobook is great, too. I'm hoping to reread it and finish the series at some point.
That's great to hear, James! Detailed, bizarre, and unique world-building are some of the things that many fans of the series constantly mentioned. I'm looking forward to getting to it one day! :)
Shattered Sea is so good! I find it to be completely different and it’s own thing compared to First Law.
City of Brass- I’ve completed the trilogy but it has too much romance for my preference.
Dragonbone Chair is excellent so far, I can’t wait to continue!
Edit- oh Homeland is also excellent! I loved the first trilogy :)
& Strange the Dreamer is a fav of mine!
Oh yes! An endorsement from you means that Shattered Sea stays on my TBR, Brittany! And the same of course goes for Dragonbone Chair, Drizzt, and Strange the Dreamer! 😊
I really liked The Shattered Sea, especially the last two books. It's not an inferior version of The First Law, I like The First Law better but this does its own thing. You should definitely give it a try, Abercrombie always crafts great characters.
Awesome! I'm a HUGE fan of Abercrombie's works on First Law, and despite feeling apprehensive, I know it's likely I'm going to enjoy Half a King when I read it! :)
Petrik u should definitely give The Bear n the Nightingale a try...
It's certainly on my TBR! Let's hope I can get to it before the end of this year!
I just couldn't get into this one.
The Earthsea books and stories are something that, I believe, everyone should experience. Mrs Le Guin's writing, in general, is nothing short of amazing, and I suggest that you give her Hainish Cycle a try. It is some of the best SF (if you could call it only SF) ever written.
Thank you, Nicola! I'll make sure to read Earthsea books! I've actually read two chapters in A Wizard of Earthsea just to see how I feel, and I liked her prose! :)
Hi, Petrik! Great video. I read Homeland a couple of years ago and have quite a soft spot for it. Drizzt as a character is very compelling. Also, learning about drow elves, their culture and values made the reading experience much more fascinating. I had a really good time with the book. Hope you enjoy it, too!
Thank you so much, Tatiana! I've heard many great things about The Legend of Drizzt, usually they mentioned the same reasons you said! I hope I can get to it sooner than later! :)
Petrik, Discworld is my favorite series. It sounds like you gave it your best try, but it just didn't click. That can be disappointing sometimes when you want to like something, but there are so many other series out there and I'm sure you will find something or already have that you love as much as I do Discworld. There are a lot of series mentioned here that I want to try as well. Happy reading my friend. Cheers.
Thank you so much for your understanding! That's exactly what I felt when i read Discworld, I really wanted to love them, but for some reasons they just didn't click with me as much as I hoped. That being said, I will try to at least finish Mort or Guards2 before finalizing my decision to continue or move on to other series! :)
His Dark Materials is a fantastic trilogy - one of my all time favourites. I highly recommend it and definitely read it before watching the series which is also great. I personally really couldn't get into the City of Brass and I wasn't a fan of the Way of Shadows. I definitely want to check out the books by Tad Williams and Ursula K. le Guin. :)
Thank you, Pippa! His Dark Materials will be on my priority TBR for next year! Good to know how much you loved it. I'm not sure when yet, but next time I try City of Brass, I try to really finish it. Seems like it's one of those cases where the first book is really weak in comparison to the rest of the trilogy. I hope both of us will enjoy reading Tad Williams and Guin's books :)
I have read book 1 & 2 from the daevabad trilogy so far, and I'm in love with this trilogy. I have also suffered in the first 25% of the first book but after that I didn't have any complaint at all, and the second book is way better, more politics, more mature, complex characters.. But I don't think that you'll love it as much as we do. But I can also guaranty that you'll enjoy it and don't feel disappointed (🤞🤞), if you continue.. 😁
Thank you so much, Rimi! Yeah, I think I might've DNFed City of Brass too quickly. I wasn't in a patient mood back then! 😂 I'll give it another attempt one day!
@@PetrikLeo yes please.. I'll be looking forward to your feedback.😊
I read all 9 books in the Temeraire series and really enjoyed it overall. Pacing is a bit slow in parts, but overall very enjoyable, lots of adventure, love the relationship between Laurence and Temeraire. Be prepared for tragedy after set back, though.
That's great to hear, Laura! I'm not sure when I'll get to this series yet, you know how it is with overwhelming TBR pile! 😂 But at least I know that you and many people love this series!
Ooh! Those Abercrombie books are fab! Highly recommend!
If you read any dragonlance books, just stick to the first trilogy by Margaret Weis and Tracy Hickman. They came out with a fourth book that's like the next generation. However, a lot of the other books are written in that world, but not by them. While they did spark a love for fantasy for me, I have also read them later as an adult. I enjoyed them both times.
Well I did enjoy The Night Angel Trilogy, I read it before the Lightbringer Series. I don't know if you would enjoy it if you've already read the Light Bringer series, because the writing isn't anywhere near as epic or tight.
I'll give Shattered Sea a try eventually! And noted regarding Dragonlance Chronicles. I'm not sure yet whether I'll ever read them.
As for Night Angel, it's odd; I keep on hearing the opposite things from many readers. Hahaha, I guess we'll see what I feel about it if I read it! There were some parts in Lightbringer that seriously impressed me, but disappointed me as well!
@@PetrikLeo I totally get that! Lightbringer had its moments for sure. I don't think I could read the night angel trilogy after it though. I probably put that one on the back burner for a while.
By "forth book" I think you mean "Dragon's of Summer Flame" which while continuing the naming convention, is not the next Weis/Hickman book. "Dragonlance Legends" comes next and is at least equal to Chronicles (and more focused) while tying up a few big threads. Then it could be worth it to do the recent "Lost Chronicles", or the "Raistlin Chronicles" if he's interested in filling gaps and the beginnings. "Summer Flame" has the big issue of having a planned trilogy compressed into one, but it won't make much sense without reading "the Second Generation" Novella collection first.
Sorry, I wasn't sure if "just stick to" meant "don't read anymore" or "start here to see how it goes". :)
@@MagusMarquillin @Magus Marquillin Yes, I've read them all many times. What I was trying to explain to Petrick was that it is a continuation that was done far later to that specific trilogy. I don't think that he needs to do Legends or time of the twins or any of the others to understand or enjoy the original trilogy. I was just explaining how the timeline works.
I suspect that most advanced fantasy readers are not interested in reading the entire extensive world of dragonlance novels, because the reality is they were written based off of d&d dies. I think that for someone who's read this many books, that it might not be enjoyable to go through that whole series.
@@hillary6563 Sorry, I didn't think it was clear. No it's not necessary to read Legends, just more satisfying, I think - assuming he enjoys his first foray. Take it one at a time though.
Of course, not many will be interested on the _entire_ Dragonlance, there's way to much else to read and the quality control isn't always there between so many authors. I'm going to try it though, since my older brother long ago collected most of the books and I've since found the missing ones - I'll do the big ol chronological read on Krynn because it was my gateway fantasy long ago.
I’m surprised you’re from Indonesia. I always thought people in here don’t really like reading fantasy genre. Anyway great video. Keep up the good work. Semoga sukses!
Thank you so much, Luqman! I'm pretty sure not a lot of people in Indonesia love reading fantasy.. 😅 yang penting kita suka yah? 😁
Glad to hear you're going to start R.A. Salvatore's books. Drizzt is one of my favorite characters. And Dragonlance! It's an old series but so entertaining.
Not sure about Dragonlance yet, but I am so interested in The Legend of Drizzt now! :)
Please read The Dark Tower Petrik!! 😀 I love the Winternight trilogy but I can def see why that series may not be for everyone.
Thank you, Crystal! I'll give Dark Tower a try again one day! 😀
Wow Petrik 🤣 This is highly validating for me because I'm always worried to be discredited for not having read these books but hey, I feel better knowing you haven't either. I honestly don't think you will like Percy Jackson. If you had read it when you were younger, maybe. Shattered Seas is actually pretty good.
Trin, we are both validating each other here; yes, I'm validating myself, too! 🤣 Yeah, I'm not putting Percy Jackson in my TBR pile for now! As for Shattered Sea, I will read it next year!
THE DARK TOWER!!! (Saying The Gunslinger didn't capture your attention is heartbreaking). I love His Dark Materials :) This was such a fun video - especially since it often feels like you've read EVERYTHING!
I've tried to get through gunslinger three times now. I understand everybody's obsessed with the series, but I just don't care about the characters even three quarters of the way into the book. If you don't know what's going on and have no connection to the characters, what's the point?
@@hillary6563 Yeah, it's definitely hard to enjoy anything when you're not connecting to the characters! Better to move on to something that you really love reading :)
Hahaha, this is kind like a confession that I, in fact, haven't read everything! 😂 Sorry for breaking your heart, my friend! But I might try Dark Tower again in the future. HIs Dark Materials is definitely on my TBR, though!
@@TheBookCure I kept hearing from people that gets better. Someone else in the comments suggested to start with book two. Would you agree that would be sufficient to get into the series? Gunslinger is one of the few books on my dnf list.
@@hillary6563 honestly, some king fans would probably say it's sacrilege, but I think if you're having that much trouble with book 1, you should read a synopsis and try book 2. Or just read the last chapter or two of Gunslinger (his meeting with Walter), which is basically the only relevant part going forward. The Gunslinger is a huge slog and not really important or referenced much for the rest of the series! :)
Great video, Petrik! I loved The Winternight Trilogy. It made me feel very cold! Also loved His Dark Materials when I read it a few years ago. I'm really looking forward to diving into Ursula K. Le Guin and so many others mentioned in this video.
Will
Thank you so much, Will! Winternight trilogy and His Dark Materials are for sure in my TBR, and I'm happy to hear you enjoyed them both. I still have to get to Guin's books and many more as well! 😁
I have many of these books on my kindle lol. The only completed series I've read is The Winternight trilogy by Katherine Arden. It had so much hype i checked it out and fell in love with it. Hope you enjoy it too. A couple of books you mentioned made it to my DNF pile. The Sword of Shanna (i know i most likely misspelled it) bore me to tears. The Gunslinger i had to force myself to read. And with both books I tried to give them a second chance but still came up with the same results. Maybe you'll have better luck lol.
The hype and praises for Winternight trilogy is huge, even Robin Hobb loved it so much. I don't think I can disregard it if Robin Hobb loved it! 😂 As for Shannara, I doubt I'll read it anytime soon or ever. The comments section here seems to completely agree that for Dark Tower, two books are necessary in order to really gauge whether the series will be for us or not. I'm going to attempt it again one day!
I sorta want to try the second book to The Dark Tower however, I have a love/hate thing for Stephen King books. I enjoyed The Shining and Doctor Sleep however I hated, The Gunslinger (as you already know) and surprisingly IT. The movies/TV series to IT i enjoyed but the book i felt was too much. The book could've been edited imo.
Yeah I get what you mean! I've read The Stand and some part of it was absolutely amazing, but there were also parts that really annoyed me. 🤣
petrik's taste in books is very similar to my own, so considering that i would recommend Memory Sorry and Thorne...it is an absolute classic, immersive and very memorable. no doubt you would love it
Memory Sorrow and Thorn is one of those series that I know I'll love, and for whatever reason, it just ends up being postponed non-stop! I hope this year will be the year I get through the first trilogy, at least!
Try the Dark Tower again. I think after the second book is a better place to decide if it has grabbed your interest. Also I definitely wouldn’t characterize it as a western or a western setting.
Will do, Jesse! The comments here have convinced me that I should give the series at least two books before the final decision! I'll make sure to do that! :)
Hi there Patrik. How are you doing? I have great news for you, late this past Wednesday night at about midnight, I finished reading and listening to the Crossroads of Twilight by Robert Jordan. Yay. That book had way too much fluff. I am now ready for book 11, Knife of Dreams.
You did it! Well done! Enjoy Knife of Dreams! 😁
Legend of Drizzt. 100%. Definitely should be added to your TBR. Homeland is a good place to start. Or you can start with his first published which is The Crystal Shard (Book 4). The first trilogy could/would be considered a prequel. The first book in the next trilogy comes out this year. And while it may be daunting or intimidating it is worth it.
They're on my TBR now! I think I'll try to fit in Dark Elf trilogy and Icewind Dale trilogy for next year read! :)
City of brass is the author's debut , you may struggle at the begining but the rest of the series is magical , I hooe you give it another try as I am looking forward to your opinion on it
Yeah! That seems to be the general consensus! I'm hoping to try it again one day. I might've just DNFed it too quickly!
I read the Percy Jackson books to my kids. They were fun, but I probably wouldn't have read them on my own. I thought I was the only person on the planet that didn't click with Discworld. I've always been kinda scared to admit that. Some people view that as a moral flaw. Lol
I love Perdido St Station. I read it several years ago and was just thinking about giving it a reread.
Btw, that is an epic shirt. 😍
You didn't click with Discworld, too!? Seriously, that's reassuring. Sometimes it feels like everyone is laughing out loud at his books and brilliance, and I'm like... "what?" 😂 I probably need to read more from his books first, though!
Also, so good to hear that you love One Piece and Perdido Street Station, Wendy! New Crobuzon trilogy is in my TBR pile for sure! 😊
Hi Petrik, definitely try them and let us know how they were!! Also, I think the camera settings are a little extreme. The background blur seems a little unnatural, and isn't needed in my opinion 🙂
Thank you, Ritchie! Yeahh, I noticed that it's too much here. I'll tone it down/erase them for my next video! 😂
Try The Dark Tower again! The 1st book is tough and nothing really happens. King is really just feeling out the world and writing the tone. The plot doesn’t take off until book 2 and it takes off quickly and never really stops. It just gets better and better. It’s multi-dimensional so don’t worry about Westerns not being your thing. It doesn’t stick to the Western genre at all and plays with different genres in interesting ways. Some of the most fascinating concepts I’ve read in any fantasy series. As the series progresses King takes risks in big ways, and one particular way that I won’t spoil, but he goes somewhere that most authors wouldn’t even think about attempting , and pulls it off magnificently. And I know some will disagree, but it has a perfect ending.
Thank you so much for your input! It's so interesting to hear this perspective; I didn't realize/know that the first book is widely regarded as being underwhelming compared to the rest of the series. No wonder it didn't grab me back then! I will give the series another attempt up to the second book before making my final decision! :)
"...so that I can experience snow even if it's just an illusion."
😭😂 Oh god I feel you petrik. I mean I live in Singapore so I understand you soooo much
Oh you're a Singaporean! I've been there a few times, and I think Singapore is even more humid at Indonesia sometimes.😂
@@PetrikLeo yes I am! Oh really?? Ive never really been to Indonesia, only once to Bali. But I think we are equally humid 😂 btw really love your channel. There are so many fantasy series I want to read now because of you. Thank you for all the amazing reccs :)
@@Chattermute hahaha I guess that's true! Bali is so hot! 😂 And thank you so much for the kind words. I truly appreciate it! 😊
You have to read The Dark Tower Series, it is so good. Only the first book is really a "western" setting... the rest is just.... weired... but so good
also His Dark Materials is a must read in my opinion, they are very fast reads its the same with Percy Jackson, those books are so much fun and you can probably read them within a day
Yes! The entire Dark Tower series is back on my TBR after I posted this video! 😉 Also, His Dark Materials is one of my priority series to read next year! 😄
I hope u get chance to read all these books on ur list?? Sometimes TBR list goes bigger every year lol 😂.... happy reading to you!! 😊📖
I hope so, too. It will take me years, but I look forward to them! 😂
Definitely give Earthsea a go the ghibli adaptation is way off the mark but Goro Miyazaki did try. Le Guin has an amazing talent for getting across dense and thought provoking material in a succinct accessible way and these books really show how much she paved the way for the current fantasy boom.
I definitely will give the series an honest attempt one day! Good to hear everyone agrees the Ghibli adaptation is off the mark! 😆
I'm in a similar place with discworld, I finished Guards! Guards! And was so so on it. I DNFd Mort 2nd and haven't started again.
I havent even finished Guards2! Maybe on my next try. I think it's safe to say the series isnt for you if none of these clicked! 😅
I've always liked the books you liked and look for your review first on Goodreads if I am planning to read them.
Having said that, I like Reckoners series and finished each book in a day.
For His Dark Materials, I probably will go with the tv show because it's very original to book and for me the book was for childrens.
Please make another video about the books we made you decided to try from this list.
Thank you so much, Vignesh! OH, that's actually a great idea for a video one day! I'll note it down, thanks for the suggestion! :)
I recommend that you read His Dark Materials, before you watch the new tv series (which I think is pretty good). But you want to get the full story, the full picture first I think. But then I always think the book should be read before any film or tv adaptation.
I definitely will do that! I'll read His Dark Materials first before watching the new TV show adaptation! :)
Petrik, it sounds like you'd prefer to read more mature, adult series rather than YA. With that in mind I'd recommend "Memory, Sorrow & Thorn" as the topmost pick from that list with Kushiel's trilogy a close second. China Mieville may also appeal but is an acquired taste. Avoid Abercrombie's Shattered Seas trilogy, not because it's bad, but it's nothing like the First Law books in tone and is very definitely aimed at a younger audience. Don't be afraid to give "His Dark Materials" a go ... whilst at first glance it seems aimed towards younger readers there are layers/themes that adult readers will pick up on and appreciate. Good reading :)
You're absolutely right that I prefer adult fantasy more than YA fantasy! So I appreciate your thoughts and recommendations! I think I'll end up reading all the series you just mentioned, but some I'll approach with lower expectations! Better that way than being disappointed! :)
I've read the Strange the Dreamer duology & really liked it! & I attempted the Chronicles of Narnia when I was younger & I can't remember how far I got, but it wasn't for me. Other than that, I haven't read any of the series you listed either! 😅
Yay for Strange the Dreamer duology! As for the rest, well it seems like we still have many great series to read! 😁
Such a good problem to have!
Can't wait to see what you'll think of The Dark Elf trilogy! It has very simplistic writing style but the characters are so compelling, I love Drizzt and his magic panther so much.
I'm quite excited for this series, Alena! You loving it is a good endorsement, too. Once I start reading it, I'm going to let you know! Looking forward to knowing about Drizzt and his magic panther! :)
I loved the Daevabad trilogy, but am not sure if you would like the rest given you have struggled with the first book. While it gets better overall and picks up, the writing is still the same, the characters are still the same, etc.
But try the Drizzt series! I only read the first trilogy and it’s so much fun. Eventhough it’s 30+ books, they are all rather short, so it’s actually not that much. Compared to i.e., Malazan where every book is a tomb. ;)
Thank you for input!! Yeah, I think if I do try the series again, I'll see whether I can finish the first book or not. The prose didn't really click for me, after all.
As for Drizzt, I'm looking forward to trying the books!! I'll see how I feel on Dark Elf and maybe Icewind Dale trilogy first before deciding to submit myself to the other 30 books! xD
I’m honestly SHOCKED you haven’t read Dark Tower
Hahaha! As I said, I attempted it so many years ago, but back then it didn't grab my attention. I'll give it a try again in the future! 😂
@@PetrikLeo one thing to note is that book 1 is WILDLY different from the rest of the series. Luckily it's short. But it's a slog for most people (myself included) and turns a fair amount off. But Drawing of the Three is so good. I would really try to get to atleast book 2 before deciding on it.
Yes yes yes READ IT @Petrik. Think of The Gunslinger as a prologue to the rest. It's SO GOOD!!
@@Thecatladybooknook_PennyD I will give it another try for sure!! 😊
@@PetrikLeo Bear in mind that "The Gunslinger" is the worst installment in the series, it's far from being a good start; "The Drawing of the Three" is an astonishingly better book.
I picked up City of Brass recently. I heard similar things but also heard that the ending is really good! I've wanted to read Drizzt as well but everytime I think of the amount of books in the series, I second guess that :D. The Gunslinger is the only book in the Dark Tower with that type of feel. Book 2 changes that feel immediately.
I might just have to give City of Brass another attempt, and this time hopefully finish it. As for Drizzt, I think having the series divided into multiple sub-series like Robin Hobb's books makes it less daunting! At least that's how it feels on my mind! 😂 And noted regarding Dark Tower, everyone in the comments said that. So cool to know!
I have half a king, but haven't read it yet either lol
City of Brass was good, I just finished it but need to read books 2 and 3
Winternight is on my Winter TBR too I think, living in FLorida we don't get very cold either so this will be me enjoying winter without real snow lol
I really enjoyed the shattered sea trilogy 👍😊😉☺️
I have Half a King for a while now, I'll try to get to it next year because Abercrombie won't have any book out next year! Let's hope we'll enjoy our imaginary cold and snow through Winternight trilogy! 🤣
I'm reading Discworld in publication order (which I think it's the best option if you want to commit to read the whole series). Right now I am reading book 26. One or a couple of books wont show you the whole view of what discworld is. The stories are connected in some way, and you will see the evolution of the characters while you read more and more books. I think the second book in the city watch is much better that guards, guards, and the color of magic is definetely not the best book in the series. But, that is why you have to contiue reading to see the progress in the story and characters.
Thank you! I'm not committed to read the whole series yet, but I'll try to read a book or two its completion first before completely disregarding the series! 😂
@@PetrikLeo ah It's ok. I am just saying in case you feel you dont understand why people like this series, and you feel you dont enjoy that much, or that you feel there are missing things. Some people say you can read any book in any order. You can, but you will miss many things, many jokes, you need to read it in order, either publication or by subseries, otherwise you wont understand that some books are connected between each other and they follow a story line. I made a video in case you feel checking it. I love reading scifi and fantasy, but discworld was something new for me and I am really enjoying this series.
I’ve binge read the Shattered Seas trilogy by JA & look forward to reading more ...please go for it!
Awesome! And will do! 😃
Yes! You should read Memory, Sorrow and Thorn!
I read the first 3 Shannara books as a teen, and while I enjoyed them at the time, I wouldn't want to read them now.
I read Wizard of Earthsea when I was like 12, and liked it a lot, but that was along time ago, so I've no idea what I'd think about it now. Still, I plan on reading the whole series at some point.
Terry Pratchett!! 💖💖
I totally will read Memory, Sorrow, and Thorn! I'm still not sure regarding Shannara, but I will also get to A Wizard of Earthsea one day! :)
I actually preferred The shattered sea to First law books (i read 6 of them), and i mainly read adult fantasy. It's less grimdark but has many truly epic moments and characters.
Oh really? That's intriguing! I don't often hear readers preferring Shattered Sea over First Law! Despite my apprehension, I know I'll end up reading through the trilogy one day. I hope I'll enjoy it as much as you did with the right expectations!
Yeah to me the shattered sea trilogy is far better to me
@@PetrikLeo i think many Abercrombie fans just didn't read the shattered sea because of the YA classification, and those who did didn't find the specific voice of the author they love, that humour and adult sarcastic tone, because it's different and more "classic fantasy"... But really really good anyway.
"His Dark Materials" one of the greatest fantasy trilogies of all time, perhaps my # 2 after LOTR,, so not for children, book 3 perhaps one of the greatest books with a climax that took me days to get over emotionally.
High praise!! I look forward to reading it, Thomas! :)
So The Crystal Shard in Salvatore's Icewind Dale trilogy is what got me back into reading after I was out of school. I loved it and started consuming his books like mad and made it through about 30 from this and different series. They were a lot of fun to read. The interesting thing with him though, is that some of his best works are the books that aren't about his main protagonist, in this case Drizzt.
I held off on Night Angel forever but ended up really loving that series as well.
Whoa that's so cool! And interesting tidbits regarding his side character being some of his best works for you! I'm going to plan my reading before diving into this series! :)
Good to hear Night Angel worked for you, too!
An amazing list! Many series on this list are on my list, too!
THE CITY OF BRASS does have a slow start, but it's due to the character development and the world-building elements; by the time you read the rest of the trilogy, everything falls into place and you don't have to consult anything else.
You made an excellent point about the WINTERNIGHT TRILOGY! How would readers who've never experienced "winter" interpret the story?
Let me know when you read either KUSHIEL or EARTHSEA because I need to read them, too.
HIS DARK MATERIALS was published as a YA/Adult series. I read them when I was in high school, and I preferred that series over HARRY POTTER (both series were published at the same time). There are adult themes in the books and one of the reasons for that is because the author was a professor at Oxford University (just like Carroll, Lewis & Tolkien). Let me know when you start reading that series and we'll chat!
Thank you so much! I will give City of Brass and the trilogy a try again one day!
I've never experienced winter before in my entire life, it would be interesting to see how the trilogy will feel to me.
You will see in my TBR videos when I'm going to read Kushiel and Earthsea! Or all the other series really hahaha.
And regarding His Dark Materials, the same thing happened in my country, too. That's why I always thought it was a series targeted for younger audience!
Dude, Shattered Sea is awesome. Abercrombie is my favourite author and First Law is my favourite series, and, still, I highly recommend reading Shattered Sea - ESPECIALLY if you like First Law and Abercrombie's characterizations. It's a quick read and absolutely worth the time, it also doesn't read like YA at all.
Also, the Bas-Lag books by Mieville are genius. Hard to describe, since they're so unique, but genius. Best I can do is tell you they have a similar feel to Disco Elysium. In regard to the Drizzt series, I'd recommend reading both the Dark Elf and the Icewind Dale Trilogies. Dark Elf is a great start to the series and give you all the background you need to get to know Drizzt, it is a bit different in tone to most of the other books, when he is actually out in the world and adventuring with his friends. Much like Shattered Sea, both Drizzt trilogies are quick reads.
Thank you for your kind and informational comment! Yeah, I think Shattered Sea is one of those series that I feel kinda not sure about, but once I get into it, I have a good feeling I'm going to enjoy it, too. I mean, it's Abercrombie! He can't do any wrong from my perspective! 😂 Also, I will definitely read Bas-Lag and try The Legend of Drizzt! Ah so many books to read!
The City of Brass I recently bought and want to read some time in the near future (like so maaaaany other books), the Night Angel trilogy has also many fans and was recommended to me by a dear friend who also got me into Mistborn (which I loved). I LOVED The Dark Tower books. But it seems to be a hit or miss. Some love it, some hate it. I feel like you are too old and too much into darker fantasy than to like C.S. Lewis and Philipp Pullman. But I have only read the first books by them, so I might be wrong due to lacking knowledge about them.
I have so manyyyy other books I want to read, too, HELP! xD
But thank you for your input! I think out of the series mentioned here, after reading the comments, my motivation on Dark Tower is the one that changed the most. I was ready to completely put it off, but now I'm quite interested to give the series another try! :)
First of all - I love that t-shirt! (One Piece is my favorite fantasy story) 🏴☠️😁
And here's my experience with a couple of the series from your list, hopefully they will be of some use to you 🙂 :
- *The Sword of Shannara* - I read the first and half of the second book a long time ago. And even though, at that time, I haven't read LOTR, the story beats sounded very cliché, even to the kid me - a farm boy gets a fellowship and a quest to go retrieve a powerful magical item.
I'd say, if you are super into classic fantasy tropes used in a very standard way, then give it a shot, otherwise, maybe not 🤷♀️
I, myself, am actually interested in trying out another series by Terry Brooks - *Magic Kingdom for Sale/Sold* - which is supposedly a fantasy comedy where a normal guy from our world buys a ruined magic kingdom by chance and needs to fix it up, which sounds quite funny
- *The Witcher* - As a Slavic person, I was quite happy to find a translation in Serbian (aka my native language) of that series, as I was adamant not to read it in English, but only in Serbian, as I believe that the humor and the wordplay would translate much better from one Slavic language to another, rather than from a Slavic language to English.
However... *The Last Wish* (the book) opens up with a random sex scene and while I'm not opposed to sex scenes, as a romance reader as well, I _need_ some romance to lead into it, rather than having it there purely, imo, for the gratification of male audience and to show just how irresistible Geralt is, as that random lady pretty much feels _so_ hot and bothered that she practically throws herself at him 🙄
After which I promptly said "No thanks, not for me" and DNF-ed the whole thing 😅
But as I think I've seen some cutscenes of the game where more or less a similar things happen (never played the game myself), something like that might not bother you 🙂
(Also, while I was watching the first season of the Netflix series, which in turn inspired me to pick up the books, I felt absolutely annoyed with just how much everyone blabber about "the fate" 🙄 )
- *Earthsea* - I pretty much DNF-ed the first book half way through for a number of reasons:
1. I don't like classic fantasy or any of the tropes that go with it (I quite dislike LOTR and have gripes with it, so, I guess, take my words with reservation, as opinion such as mine is,from what I gathered, a sacrilegious one in our fantasy community 😂), and Earthsea is chockful of classic fantasy tropes -a farm boy chosen one, a magic school (but only for boys!), "wise" old wizard mentors with great long beards that only speak in riddles, "true speech" type of magic, good old "good vs evil", etc etc
2. The whole thing of male magic users being perceived as good wizards, but female magic users being perceived as evil witches, which bothers me a lot, especially so coming from a female author! Now, to be fair, I never finished the book(s), so I can't say if that perception itself was something that the author wanted to explore and debunk and so purposefully added into her story
3. The protagonist was very unlikeable, which grated on a character driven reader like me very much
4. I found the story to be very boring
I'd say if you like the classic stuff, and, considering just how many people love that series, there's a huge chance of you actually liking that story 🙂
- *Discworld* - As someone who loves One Piece, I'd expect from myself to actually like Discword. But that wasn't my experience. I read 2 books in Discworld - *The Color of Magic* and *Mort* . The Color of Magic I found boring while Mort I disliked with a passion. That was actually the book where I discovered that one of my least favorite tropes of all time is "personification of death", so that was more of a me problem, rather than a book problem 😅
I have, however, read a non - Discworld trilogy of his - *The Bromeliad Trilogy* and that one I did found funny, but nothing special.
My problem with enjoying Pratchett seems to be that, while I love lighthearted and wacky fantasies, I need them to be heartfelt. And heart is something that I didn't find in his stories 🤷♀️
- *His Dark Materials* - Oh, I love HDM! (Finally one series on this list that I have read and loved - sorry about all the negativity 😅)
It was my favorite series as a child and when I reread it in 2019, it absolutely holds up, imo, at least! I love it despite the fact that I don't really care about religion in my books. But this one has such charming characters, interesting places and magic systems (spec in the 2nd book) that I loved it all the same. (And I also think that that movie with Nicole Kidman wasn't that bad, more that it ends before the end of the book, which is frustrating)
- *Narnia* - I loved the movie, the books felt pretty meh to me (I read 4 or 5 put of 7, I think), even if isekai/portal fantasies are one of my favorite types of fantasy. The religious themes didn't really click with me, the characters were neither here or there regarding my... well, regard for them, the whole good vs evil thing yet again, I wasn't really a fan how Lewis dealt with "children living through emotionally horrific life circumstances and using their imagination to help them get through it" (I much preferred how it was done in *Bridge to Terabithia*, for example), but, most likely, I probably didn't read it at the right age, so its magic was probably lost on me 😅
Sorry for this tome of a post, hopefully some of it might end up being useful to you 😊
Ohhh fellow fans of One Piece! It's always a delight to find another fans!
For Shannara, as you said, that's kinda what I expected from the series. I don't think I'll read the series anytime soon, or ever, unless for the purpose of getting to know more of the classic.
Witcher - I think that's a valid reaction for you to have. Although that scene didn't really bother me when I first read it, I know that other readers have agreed that it annoyed them, too! So you're definitely not the only one on this.
Earthsea - It's unfortunate that this one didn't click for you, too! That being said, Earthsea is a beloved series, and many have consider it as one of the integral series to try. I think I will try and see how I feel about it. I have actually read Guin's writing just to try, and I liked what I've read so far! Hopefully that stays through to the end!
Discworld - Again, too bad this one didn't work, too! But hey, I understand what you're saying on this. I haven't finished Mort or Guards2, but what I've read so far hasn't impressed me yet. I will try to finish them before finalizing my decision!
But I'm happy you loved His Dark Materials! Haha, at least there's something you really enjoyed here. The movie has been out for a long time and I can't say I remember much of it, however I do remember that I didn't find it as bad as everyone said. But who knows, maybe if I had read the book, I would agree with them, too! xD
Anyway, no need to apologize for the long message. I appreciate hearing your thoughts on these series! Thank you for watching! :)
LOL ko.. you should go to Bromo or some place cold to read that series and experience the cold hahaha
Hahaha that's not a bad idea!! 😆
Hey Petrik! I would recommend you give the second book in the dark tower series a try. While the first book does feel like a typical western, the second book really introduces new tropes and genres. You can decide after that if you wanna continue or not. Like the series or not, I think you will find it very difficult to find anything similar to dark tower in fantasy. Great video!🙂
Thank you so much! 🙂 Yeah, I'm glad I made this video. Like you, many Dark Tower fans have said to give the series another try and that the first book isn't a good representation of the series!
I want so bad to hear your opinion on Laini Taylor books!. I have heard great things from that duology in particular!.
It will be done, Antonio! I've heard great things about this duology, too!
@@PetrikLeo you should put those books as a group book, in case some of us want to read that one with you!
I decided I have to read The Dragonbone Chair after I fell in love with the 6th book’s cover at the library 3 weeks ago 😂🤣😂🤣🤷🏼♀️ you should do a read along! It’ll give me the push I need 😂
Hahaha EMPIRE OF GRASS right!? That cover art is so stunning! I might do a readalong for it in the future! Look forward to it! 😊
@@PetrikLeo Awesome!! I would totally love that ~ and yes Empire of Grass, that cover is just magical and everything I love about fantasy!
I just finished winternight trilogy last week and I flew through the books. I very much enjoyed them!
Woohoo! That's great to hear! Most people who've read it seemed to enjoyed it very much, I look forward to reading the trilogy!
Have you read shogun? Just curious. And you should do a mid year freakout tag! ❤️
Not yet. I did read 200 pages (i think) but I fell ill, and I couldn't bring myself to continue. Might have to try it again one day, that book is HUGE. I haven't done any tag on my channel yet, I'm not really sure about the rules on it, I'll probably just do a best books of 2021 so far video instead!
Definitely you should try the first trilogy of Drizzt, I really enjoy them especially since I was a long time AD&D player/dungeon master so the setting/world/story was very familiar. If you like it then you can go to the next trilogy which is the Icewind Dale trilogy. As for the Witcher if you have like the last wish then sword of destiny would feel similar (it's also different short story), you will be able to also learn more about the beginning of Ciri.
That's the plan! Thanks for sharing your thoughts on these! :)
Mark Lawrence has a gushing review on Strange the Dreamer on Goodreads (so do I and we're friends on goodreads, petrik) ;-)
Yeah! I've read his review on it. Mark really loves this duology! And I'm glad you, too! 😁
You will like Reckoners. Try the audiobook for those. They're great
I'm not good with audiobook, but I'll give the series a try one day!
I haven't started the Temeraire series yet, but from what I can tell, that series is quite different from both Uprooted and Spinning Silver. I keep hearing the word "military" happen a lot when people talk about Temeraire, and that certainly isn't a word I'd apply to either of the others!
I've read only Uprooted (hated it so much) and I have Spinning Silver on my TBR this year. I think if I end up loving Spinning Silver, I'll put Temeraire on my TBR pile! 😁
I've read the 1st Temeraire and it was very good. The only reason I haven't continued is lack of time, but I'll get there. I read the first 1/3-1/2 of Uprooted before tapping out and they are NOTHING alike. Uprooted and (from what I hear) Spinning Silver are more fairytale based with all the fantasy feeling that brings, while Temeraire is military fantasy with dragons.
I started my Fantasy journey with The Hobbit and the Lord of the Rings. Then read Narnia, then Earthsea. As for this list, I haven't read many of these either. Memory, Sorrow, and Thorn is fantastic. I'm waiting just a bit before starting the Last King of Osten Ard as well. And will probably reread the first trilogy before I do so. As for Shannara, the first book, The Sword of Shannara, is very LotR. But from the second book (The Elfstones of Shannara) onwards, Brooks does a good job of building his own world. I've read the first seven (publication order) in that series so far and have enjoyed them.
That's my plan for reading Osten Ard Saga, too, but I might read Memory, Sorrow, and Thorn this year just to check how I feel! If they're that great, I'm sure I want to reread them in the future! :)
The first book of The Daevabad Trilogy was not my favorite. It suffers from a lot of tropes (not that tropes are necessarily bad, but in this case, it didn’t click for me) and maybe some debut writing clunkiness. But I flew through the second and third book so fast, it improved vastly from the first.
P.S. I looked at your review of Uprooted when you mentioned it and I feel validated about hating it when most of my friends loved it. Thank you lmao
So assuring to hear that, and even more so because you hated Uprooted, too. When I hear Uprooted is labeled as romantic, I want to pull my hair off. The romance there drove me to insanity. xD
@@PetrikLeo I have screamed at the characters of Uprooted multiple times while reading it, not gonna lie…
China Meiville series are 3 standalone stories set in an interconnected world. I really enjoyed the Scar and i have been wanting to read Perdido Street Station.
Kushiels Dart has what has to be one of my favourite opening chapters i have read.
Oh, I actually didn't know that it's a series of standalone books!! Thanks for letting me know. I'll keep this trilogy in my TBR! 😀
I know right!? I've tried the first chapter of Kushiel's Dart and was so impressed by Carey's prose!
I'm about to finish the last book of the shattered sea. As for you, Abercrombie is my favourite author. And i don't feel that is just an inferior version of first law. If you start it knowing it's YA, you'll really enjoy it. Because it's still Abercrombie and he writes awesome.
I'm 35 and i'm enjoying it so much
And read the Witcher!! Almost same humour and great characters as Abercrombie's
Good to know on both accounts! Thanks for letting me know your thoughts on them!! 😊 I look forward to reading these two series!
I think you should read Narnia for sure. You could easily read each book In about 2 hours, it would be worth it.
I might give them a read in the future, but definitely not anytime soon! 😂
City of Brass is really good! I liked the worldbuilding and the politics especially! Only thing I didn’t like was the romance, but that is thankfully not a big part
I was afraid the romance was going to be a big part. I've read only a little, and I can already see there will be a love triangle between the Nahri, Dara, and Ali.
Yes you really should give shattered sea trilogy a chance I haven't heard a lot of people talk about this series that much It's really good and the city of brass trilogy is so great and so is the dark tower series I have only read four of the books in the series but three of them are my most favorite books from king 💝💖🤗😉
Thank you, Cynthia! These three series will be in my TBR from now on! Well, Shattered Sea already is, but now City of Brass and Dark Tower are back in it! 😂
You’ve listed some great series, Petrik! I’d be very interested to hear your thoughts on Strange the Dreamer and The Bear and The Nightingale. I’m with you on Discworld though...I just don’t really click with his writing or humour...and I’m from the UK too 😳 and I get British humour, just not Pratchett’s unfortunately. Hopefully you might do better with him when you next pick up Guards! Guards! 👍
Thank you, Lauren! Winternight trilogy should be on my TBR this year. Probably near the end of the year, so you'll probably hear me talking about it in future videos! As for Discworld, yeah... both Guards2 and Mort are so beloved by many readers, I am curious whether it's just a reading mood thing or maybe Pratchett's style really isn't for me. But I'll try to really finish both of them before deciding to cross him off my TBR! :)
I'm definitely going to read The Legend of Drizzt trilogy it been on my TBR for years now and also The Dragonbone Chair
Same here, Daniel! I hope we'll both enjoy them when the time comes! 😊
The Dark Tower changes A LOT after book one and is my most favorite series ever. Do that one lol.
Yeah! I didn't know that before I published this video. Now I know, after everyone's comment here, another attempt shall be done in the future! :)
If you can get past City of Brass, the rest of the trilogy is amazing! The ending of CoB also picks up
I'll keep that in mind when I attempt it again!! I heard Kingdom of Copper is a significant improvement over the first book!
Also you should read lion Witch and the wardrobe - it’ll take you like 1 hour to read it. It’s short and pretty easy. If you like it then Read prince caspian and voyage of the drawn treader. This series is less a continued story and more episodic
I actually didn't realize the book is THAT short. Maybe I'll give it a try someday if it's that quick to read!
@@PetrikLeo Ok more like 2 hours is - it under 150 pages
Hi Petrik,
Completely different question here. If you are interested, please make a channel read along for any of the books from your TBR. It will be fun.
It's on my plan to do for sure, Vignesh! I'm still not too sure which series I'll go with, but once I'm settled, I'll let everyone know!
"oh that rhymes" 😂 It is such a relief to know that you haven't actually read every fantasy book ever made! His Dark Materials is definitely worth it :) and totally agree about the books being much better than the movie. Unfortunately the books got categorised as YA because the main protagonist is a young girl but this is in my view much more of an adult book.
Hahaha! I know sometimes it seems as if I've read every fantasy books, but there's still a LOT of fantasy books I haven't read! There's still more and more beyond this list! 😂
I'll definitely check out His Dark Materials!
Dark Materials are not kids books. They are quite simply brilliant and Pullman is a fantastic writer. One of the best series I have ever read and his world building is unique. The man is a genius.
Good to know, Paul! The series was marketed heavily as children's books when I was young, and I think that kinda stuck with me somehow. But it's good to hear from many readers that it may be a marketing mistake! ☺️
@@PetrikLeo I read the series only a few months ago and even as an Adult who purely and mostly reads Adult fantasy I think this is definitely in my top 5 it’s so unique
Dark materials can be read by kids - but there are so many layers to the series. This is one of the best example of book which differently for different ages
Kids book≠boring for adults. After all, Avatar the last airbender is widely considered to be one of the best shows, and it is a cartoon.
@@mastersal4644 dont you just love it when a series can work that way!? 🤩
A couple of thoughts:
Joe Abercrombie- I've not yet read First Law, but plan to. And if he's really good as an author, I imagine he can still pull a good YA series too.
Discworld- I have not read either. I'm hesitant to read anything that people find 'hilarious '. Not unless I'm convinced that it's a sense of humor that jives with me. So, I'm with you on that.
Dark Tower-- I would love the chance to sell you on this series. Especially if you're able to muscle thru that first book. Gunslinger was rather weak, and was the only one (I think?) in a western setting. The next one is in New York City mostly, and the third is just all over the place. I think once you start the second book, it's going to hook ya
You're very right on your first thought, I really should believe more in him especially because he's one of my favorite authors! xD
Yeah, humor is one of the most hit and miss element in storytelling, imo. What I've read so far from Discworld definitely weren't funny/hilarious to me.
Now for Dark Tower... the series is back on my TBR! I'm going to finish two books in the series before deciding whether to give up or continue with it. So surreal (and reassuring) to hear practically everyone here mentioned that the first book isn't a good presentation of the series! :)
@@PetrikLeo That's cool, because I think that the second book is easily a deciding factor. If book two does pull you in, then it's fair to say it's not for you.
But I will say this, book two of Dark Tower is NoTHinG like the first. A whole different feel, and quite a faster pace.
Hi! You should really give Temeraire a chance. It's an amazing series, and it has dragons:). FYI: I also hated Uprooted so I don't think it reflects on the enjoyment you may get from Temeraire.
I'm starting to think that Uprooted may be just a one time thing! But yes, I'll read Spinning Silver first, and then hopefully Temeraire! :)
im with you on discworld, i tried two of them and on paper i was supposed to love them but they just fell quite flat for me, i dont think i'll be reading any more
I really wanted to love it! I hope the next time I tried them, it would be a better experience.
@@PetrikLeo Terry Pratchett was a genius. But his absurdist humour doesn't appeal to everyone and I'd suggest moving on if "Guards ! Guards !" didn't resonate with you. I felt the same way, if it's any consolation.
I need to jump into Brandon Sanderson. This is a great video.
Yes, do it! And thank you so much! :)
Please don’t jump into Brandon Sanderson!
We need him and he might get injured by you jumping into him.
Start with Mistborn and we'll welcome you into the #CosmereCrew for life!!🥰
I'm really enjoying Earthsea so far, finished the 1st book last night and really enjoyed it. I own the first Night Angel book but I can't seem to get interested in reading it right now.
The Night Angel series is actually pretty good, but the first book does start off a bit slow. I actually read all of those before reading the lightbringer series.
Oh you've finished A Wizard of Earthsea! Glad you enjoyed it. I hope to feel the same when I do get to it! :)
Book 2 of The Dark Tower in my opinion is on a whole different level to book 1. You should give book 2 a try before deciding on the series- it’s so good
Seems like this is the majority of the opinions/advice, thank you for adding your vote to it!! :)
I just reread all of Tad Williams Dragonbone series. He is due for the last in the second trilogy. These books are awesome.
That's great! I look forward to reading the first trilogy! 😄
I read both the Night Angel trilogy and the Steelheart trilogy and loved them, BUT, they were my introductions to Brent Weeks and Brandon Sanderson. If I had read their other works first, I probably wouldn't have enjoyed them as much. They're more of a place to start, not something to go back to.
That makes sense, Shannon! Thank you for your comment! If I do get to them, I'll approach with lower expectations! :)
Awesome video,didn't know that there are series you haven't read yet 😅.OMG,low blow to Allen,you DNF Mort and Guards Guards,a great example how reading is subjective.I read Percy Jackson last year and it was pretty good but if you like mostly adult fantasy,I don't think you will enjoy this one.(A lot of repetitive tropes-school setting,chosen one,prophecy).It's great for kids who already enjoyed Harry Potter.
Ssssttt, don't tell Allen about this sacrilege! 😁 But yeah, just goes to show how subjective reading can be. As for Percy Jackson, I think I won't read it anytime soon. I will probably read it to my kids someday!
Wow so many of these are on my series tbr too. Notably tad Williams I need to get into as I tried when I was too young for the prose. Personally I enjoyed half a king and steelheart and Sanderson is about to put out another book on audio in the series. For dark tower do not get put off by the gunslinger I love the series as a whole but honestly book 1 still makes no sense to me. Enjoy❤️
Thank you, Ellyn! I'll try to fit Shattered Sea and Reckoners for next year read. As for Dark Tower, it seems like from the comments the majority kinda agree that the first book isn't a good representation of the series. I'll have to give it a go again!
Yarvi from Half a King is one of my all time favourite characters. I highly recommed reading at least that book.
That's high praise! I'll make sure to read at least the first book! Probably next year, though. This year is too packed already! 😆
I recently finished Dragons of Autumn Twilight after first (and last) reading it over 20 years ago: it definitely doesn't hold up, but I think it would be a good start into fantasy (as it was mine).
I'm actually doing a readalong of the Winternight trilogy starting in December, if you wanted to join!
Yeah, I have a feeling that might be the case for Dragonlance! xD
Thank you for inviting me, I'm still not sure when I'll actually read Winternight trilogy, but if it ends up being in December, I'll take you up on that offer!! :)