Today, io9.com posted a list of ten fantasy series to read while you’re waiting for the next book in George R. R. Martin’s A Song of Ice and Fire series. I like the list–there’s a lot of great fantasy books here and likely something for every fan of fantasy, whether you prefer more or less magic, darker or lighter themes, or more or less character development.
I was glad to see a few books that were already on my Amazon wish list were included in io9’s list of fantasy series. Right off the bat, io9 suggests the Kingkiller Chronicles by Patrick Rothfuss. The first book, The Name of the Wind, seemed to get a lot of buzz when it came out, so I’m glad to see the praise continues across the series. Io9 also suggested the Stormlight Archive by Brandon Sanderson. I’ve really enjoyed Sanderson’s work on the late Robert Jordan’s Eye of the World fantasy series, but I’ve been hesitant to start another series where each book is a doorstopper. But then again, other than the length, I haven’t heard any complaints about Sanderson’s new fantasy series. And one of my shame-filled nerd secrets is that I’ve never read The Earthsea Cycle by Ursula K. LeGuin (although I’ve read other fantasy books by the always wonderful LeGuin–and I thoroughly enjoyed them).
Of course, if you feel as if you’ve been burned by Martin and you hesitate to begin a fantasy series until it is complete, there are other fantasy series you can pick up, including such classics as The Lord of the Rings trilogy or the Narnia series. Heck, go ahead and start reading Jordan’s Eye of the World series because the last book in the series should be coming out shortly. Famous last words for anyone who is a fan of fantasy, I know, but it’s a fun series (I started reading it in the 7th grade, and it’s just about to wrap up, ha!).
What do you think of io9.com’s list of fantasy series? Is there a series you think everyone should have on their reading list? Or is there a standalone fantasy book that you think doesn’t get the praise it should? Leave a comment below.