Best Fantasy Series

The Stormlight Archive

“Life before Death.
Strength before Weakness.
Journey before Destination.”

Brandon Sanderson is one of the most prolific authors around. He churns out on average 1 novel a year, and the Stormlight Archive is his Magnum Opus. It's HUGE, and only going to get bigger. With a projected 10 novels he plans on releasing a new Stormlight book every other year or so. We're only two books in and the next should be coming sometime next year. Just 14 more years to go. Most of Sanderson's novels take place in the same universe, as in the same literal universe/galaxy, and the Stormlight Archive is where plots from 7+ novels start to come together. Each series is written independently but affect the overall story of the Cosmere (the name of Sandersons fictional universe), and with the release of every new book Sanderson expands his already intricate universe spanning plots. And I can't wait for more.

An incredible amount of detail went into crafting the world of Roshar where this novel takes place, and the unique ecosystem and magic in that world make this story incredibly engaging.

Plot: Sprawling. The series follows multiple viewpoints, and each book is actually written as three novels in one, so there is a lot going on. In summary though it follows three principle characters: Kaladin: an ex soldier and now a slave; Dalinar Kholin: a revered and masterful general now suffering from madness and delusions; and Shallan: a young girl with a bloody and mysterious past. These descriptions fail to do this series justice, but I promise you, the care that went into writing it makes this a worthwhile read.

http://www.amazon.com/The-Way-Kings-Stormlight-Archive/dp/0765365278

The Kingkiller Chronicle

“I have stolen princesses back from sleeping barrow kings. I burned down the town of Trebon. I have spent the night with Felurian and left with both my sanity and my life. I was expelled from the University at a younger age than most people are allowed in. I tread paths by moonlight that others fear to speak of during day. I have talked to gods, loved women, and written songs that make the minstrels weep. You may have heard of me.”

Beautiful. There is no other way of describing this series. Rothfuss' command of the English language is simply amazing, and his aptitude with humor, action, and intrigue makes this one of the best series around. The only bad thing I have to say about it is that Rothfuss can't write them fast enough.

Plot: This series follows the exploits of Kvothe, the son of Arliden and Laurian, members of an Edema Ruh troupe of traveling performers. It's hard to describe the exact plot of this book. Many would describe it as a book where nothing happens, but you don't care because it's so stinking beautiful. It chronicles Kvothe's transformation from a child to his education at the University and beyond. Kvothe is clever and entertaining, and the framed narrative structure of the story hints at events that I am itching to learn more about.

Go read it. Do it now.

http://www.amazon.com/Name-Wind-Kingkiller-Chronicle/dp/0756404746/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1458948931&sr=1-1&keywords=name+of+the+wind

Mistborn Series

"There's always another secret.”

Another one of Brandon Sanderson's series, and the one that really launched his career. Mistborn was initially planned as as a trilogy of trilogies. The first is a medieval fantasy, the second a modern day fantasy set in a 1980's like world, and the final a science fiction space opera. Then he decided to throw in the Wax and Wayne novels set 300 years after the original trilogy in an industrial revolution style setting. As with his Stormlight books, expect to follow this world over the next ten years or so. It's gonna be a long ride.

Plot: This is another example of incredible worldbuilding; with a civilization covered in ash and an immortal tyrant ruling over an oppressed working class. Naturally this is the story of those people rising up and overthrowing their God. The first book in the series starts off as a mixture between a heist/revolution led by a group of magical thieves, but the series as a whole transforms into so much more. And remember, there's *always* another secret.

http://www.amazon.com/Mistborn-Trilogy-Boxed-Hero-Ascension/dp/076536543X/ref=sr_1_1?s=apparel&ie=UTF8&qid=1458948966&sr=8-1&keywords=mistborn+trilogy

The Lord of the RIngs

"Not all who wander are lost"

The series that started it all. The Hobbit was the first fantasy book I ever read and got me forever hooked into the genre.

Plot: Do you really need me to summarize this for you? Didn't think so.

http://www.amazon.com/Hobbit-Lord-Rings-Fellowship-Towers/dp/0345538374/ref=sr_1_3?ie=UTF8&qid=1458949007&sr=8-3&keywords=lord+of+the+rings+trilogy

The Malazan Book of the Fallen

“First in , Last out"

Man, what to say about this series... Epic. Massive. Dense. Absolutely 100% fantastic. Maybe 95%. Steven Erikson's professional career before becoming an author was as an Archaeologist, and it shows. His books are thick with history, and the civilizations in the current timeline of the series are built upon the bones of thousands before, and Erikson has given each one a name and a history. This is a hard series to get into, it's magic can be confusing, and the sheer amount of names, places, and races thrown at you is overwhelming. But it's worth the initial slog. The story is brutal, and like George Martin, he likes to kill people. Often. This series holds the record for the number of times an author has made me cry. Pacing the room with the book in my hand, and literally screaming out when someone was killed. It's that good.

Plot: This series spans multiple continents; multiple centuries; multiple realms, both magical and mundane; multiple races, human and otherwise; and many, many, many characters. Seriously, each of the ten books in the series adds another 5-20 people to the cast, and kills off a bunch more. So it evens out. At one point he even leaves EVERYONE, EVERY storyline, behind and introduces you to a completely new group of people. And this may actually be my favorite in the series. At it's core though it's the story of the Bridgeburners, a military company in the Imperial Army, and the motliest collection of badasses you will ever meet. Worth the steep learning curve.

http://www.amazon.com/Complete-Malazan-Book-Fallen-ebook/dp/B00HL0MA3W/ref=sr_1_3?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1458949056&sr=1-3&keywords=malazan+book+of+the+fallen

The Dresden Files

“Holy shit," I breathed. "Hellhounds."
"Harry," Michael said sternly. "You know I hate it when you swear."
"You're right. Sorry. Holy shit," I breathed, "heckhounds.”

I'll admit, this series isn't for everyone, but it should be. The series starts out a little rough, but Jim Butcher really matures as a writer and it really starts to show around books 3 and 4. The first few books in the series seem like independent novels, but Butcher starts tying things together later on, forming a continuous backstory that slowly unfolds over the course of the series. Some critics think he loses focus from the overarching plot, but every book is hilariously good fun. so even if it seems like Butcher is taking a detour, you'll love every minute of it. Good fun.

Plot: Harry Dresden is a wizard living modern day Chicago. I guess you could categorize his books as Magical Noir. He's a detective for hire and specializes in the types of cases with Occult and mysterious circumstances. The books are amazingly hilarious, a laugh out loud, romping good time. But they don't lack depth. There are fun twists and turns to each story and with every new book we get a glimpse into the shadowy villains lurking behind the scenes.

http://www.amazon.com/Dresden-Files-15-books/dp/B00O3HD47C/ref=sr_1_5?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1458949104&sr=1-5&keywords=dresden+files

The Wheel of Time

"The Wheel of Time turns, and ages come and pass, leaving memories that become legend. Legends fade to myth, and even myth is long forgotten when the Age that gave it birth comes again."

Simultaneously revered and hated, but no matter where you lie on that spectrum you can't deny how influential this series has been on the genre. Unfortunately Robert Jordan passed away before writing the final book in his series, but his wife and Editor recruited Brandon Sanderson to finish it of, which he did with his typical skill. These books are notorious for being filled with fluff and extraneous plots- at one point I needed to have the Wheel of time encyclopedia open in order to follow the names of all the people in this series- but mixed in with all the filler is an incredible tale filled with memorable moments and lovable characters.

Plot: the series follows Rand al'Thor, a humble farm boy destined for greatness; along with his two friends Matrim Cauthon, and Perrin Aybara- also humble farm boys destined for greatness. And about 200+ other soldiers, princes, princesses, mages, nobles, and madmen. Also destined for greatness. But in all seriousness, the Dark One is trying to escape his prison and his minions are wreaking havoc, and Rand and company get mixed up in this struggle that lasts for 14 books and a total of 4,410,036 words. Epic. Fantasy. Bite the bullet and dig in.

http://www.amazon.com/Complete-Wheel-Time-Set-1-14/dp/0765376865/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1458949157&sr=1-1&keywords=wheel+of+time+box+set+complete

The Codex Alera

"All things pass in time.
We are far less significant than we imagine ourselves to be. All that we are, all that we have wrought, is but a shadow, no matter how durable it may seem. One day, when the last man has breathed his last breath, the sun will shine, the mountains will stand, the rain will fall, the streams will whisper—and they will not miss him."

The second Jim Butcher series on my list, and the less well known of the two. By far. This series came about because of a bet. Seriously, hear it from Butcher himself: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ylKRYe0ZWHo.

For those who didn't watch the bet sprung from an online argument that you couldn't write a good book with old commonly trod ideas, and Butcher thought that was stupid and challenged the person to give him two terrible ideas for a book and he would write an amazing story. The two ideas he was given: lost roman legions and pokemon. Butcher ran with it and wrote this masterpiece of fantasy.

Plot: it follows the life of a humble farmboy named Tavi who is destined for greatness. Yes, it's cliche, but that was kind of the point of the series. The citizens of this world can tame the spirits of the land and call on them to augment their strength and abilites. It's surprisingly good. You come to care about the characters, and there are some incredible battles and fights scattered throughout the books. Worth the read.

http://www.amazon.com/Complete-Collection-Calderon-Captains-Princeps/dp/B00BOB6Y04/ref=sr_1_2?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1458949197&sr=1-2&keywords=codex+alera+box+set

A Song of Ice and Fire

“A day will come when you think yourself safe and happy, and suddenly your joy will turn to ashes in your mouth, and you'll know the debt is paid.”

The series that transcended genres, probably the most successful of the book to video transitions. (Not counting Harry Potter b/c it isn't 'epic' fantasy). Brutal, gritty, gray.

Despite the dragons and other events this is more of a low fantasy setting, low magic. It is based in a much more realistic setting, with political intrigue being the basis of the world instead of fights between mages and demons. This world is a gray one. The villains have redeeming qualities, the heroes can be ruthless. Except for Ramsay, the heartless bastard. No redeeming qualities. None whatsoever.
This is another series that suffers from too much bloat, some of the people and story lines I cared nothing about and just skimmed to get a general idea about what was going on so I could get to the good parts. Good series though with a surprising amount of historical correlations.

Plot: Another one that's hard to pin down. This is a monster of a series. But you could simplify it to the political, and military, battles between the Starks, the Lannisters, the Targaryans, and the Baratheons. Plenty of memorable characters, and even more memorable deaths, George Martin hooks you into his story and you will root for your favorite characters and revile the villains. That is, until people from either group show facets of their character that were completely unexpected and you're left questioning which side they've been on the entire time. Bloody entertaining.

http://www.amazon.com/George-Martins-Thrones-5-Book-Boxed/dp/0345535529/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1458949278&sr=1-1&keywords=song+of+ice+and+fire

The Demon Cycle

“There's a wide world out there, for those willing to brave the dark.”

A great start to the series is kind of overshadowed by the mediocrity of the later books. The warded man is excellent, very well written. Plenty of action with engaging protagonists, but the later books in the series just don't match the quality of the first. But, with that said, it's still a great series. The action is intense and Arlen's transformation over the course of the books is a pleasure to read.

Plot: Demons rise form the ground every night, and the populace are forced to confine themselves behind protective wards or they will be torn to pieces. Arlen is a young boy who has seen death and cowardice firsthand, and decides he wont live in fear. He runs away and sets out on a path to become a legendary figure that takes the fight back to the demons as he attempts to drive them from the surface.

http://www.amazon.com/Books-Peter-Bretts-Demon-Cycle/dp/B01BM13DVI/ref=sr_1_5?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1458949299&sr=1-5&keywords=demon+cycle+series

The Lightbringer Series

“Do you know why you feel destined for something greater?”
“Why?” Kip asked, quiet, hopeful.
“Because you’re an arrogant little shit.”

Another unique twist on fantasy tropes. Not as widely regarded as Brent Weeks other series, the lightbringer books are still a good read. The magic system is unique and interesting.

Plot: Kip is your typical farmboy that becomes a hero. This follows his story from nobody to joining the most elite group of warriors in the kingdom. Interesting political machinations and entertaining battles make this a fun read.

http://www.amazon.com/Black-Prism-Lightbringer-Brent-Weeks/dp/0316246271/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1458949404&sr=1-1&keywords=lightbringer+series

Tales of the Black Company

“Evil is relative…You can’t hang a sign on it. You can’t touch it or taste it or cut it with a sword. Evil depends on where you are standing, pointing your indicting finger.”

Written over thirty years ago this series spawned the dark gritty fantasy genre. Reading this series it's easy to see how it influenced future writers, most notably Steven Erikson and his Malazan series. The characters are fun, and would probably be the bad guys, if worse ones weren't out there trying to kill them.

Plot: The tales of the Black Company is exactly what the title describes. It follows the Black Company, an elite group of mercenaries for hire. Despite having an interesting cast of 'heroes' it's the villains who really stood out to me. They are dangerous and flawed, and seeing the protagonists track them down, unravel their schemes, and kill them is a treat.

http://www.amazon.com/Chronicles-Black-Company-Glen-Cook/dp/0765319233/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1458949440&sr=1-1&keywords=tales+of+the+black+company

The Night Angel Trilogy

“Life is empty. Life is worthless. When we take a life, we aren't taking anything of value."

When it comes to brutality this series might just take the cake. Brent Weeks puts his characters through absolute hell, just the worst of the worst, and brings them back out again broken and flawed. Except for one. The magic in the world is another fun and interesting system that I really love, even if it does make he protagonists feel overpowered by the end of the trilogy.

Plot: the story follows a number of characters, but focuses on Azoth who goes from urchin to supernatural assassin under the tutelage of legendary Durzo Blint. The nature of the story shifts as the series progresses. At first it seems it is simply about a boy wanting to crawl out of the gutter and make a name for himself, but eventually it becomes much more.

http://www.amazon.com/Night-Angel-Trilogy-Brent-Weeks/dp/0316085146/ref=sr_1_4?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1458949488&sr=1-4&keywords=night+angel+trilogy

The Gentleman Bastards

“I've got kids that enjoy stealing. I've got kids that don't think about stealing one way or the other, and I've got kids that just tolerate stealing because they know they've got nothing else to do. But nobody--and I mean nobody--has ever been hungry for it like this boy. If he had a bloody gash across his throat and a physiker was trying to sew it up, Lamora would steal the needle and thread and die laughing. He...steals too much.”

What a fun series. Vulgar, crass, and heaps of fun. Each novel is unique, and when you think you have everything figured out Scott Lynch turns the story on its head. Do yourself a favor and go read this series.

Plot: Locke Lamora is a thief who loves stealing. Can't help himself. Then he steals from the wrong person and gets mixed up in some bad business and his life gets turned to garbage. Hilarious. Engaging. Go get it. And the next book should be coming out in a few months or so.

http://www.amazon.com/Gentleman-Bastard-3-Book-Series/dp/B00PL9LM48/ref=sr_1_5?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1458949513&sr=1-5&keywords=gentleman+bastards

The Broken Empire

“Dark times call for dark choices. Choose me.”

Mark Lawrence's debut series is incredible. Taking place in a post apocalyptic world, this series is dark. Incredibly dark, as in, the protagonist is an absolute ruthless monster who will stop at nothing to get his way. And he's only 13 years old.

Plot: The story follows Jorg, a prince whose mother and brother were murdered brutally before his eyes when he was still young. This event fuels a never ending thirst for power and revenge. Jorg is clever and deadly, and once you start reading his story you may not put it down until you turn the final page.

http://www.amazon.com/Broken-Empire-3-Book/dp/B00VZJ3QGK/ref=sr_1_3?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1458949537&sr=1-3&keywords=the+broken+empire

The Powder Mage Trilogy

“A king’s pride doesn’t fill the people’s bellies.”

Brian Mclellan is another debut author I included in my list. These books are fun and bloody, and are part of a burgeoning new genre of fantasy some are calling 'flintlock fantasy'. This is a magical world set in the style of the late 1700's-early 1800's era. This story in particular echoes the french revolution. It's a new take on the fantasy genre and its a refreshingly different read.

Plot: The protagonist is a general who murdered his king, tore down his government, set up martial law, and you cheer him for it. (This is not a spoiler, as this is how the story opens) Is he a good guy? Bad guy? Good guy forced to do bad things to protect the people of the country he loves? Is his loyalty to the king, or the people? Great story, great characters, great read.

http://www.amazon.com/Powder-Mage-3-Book/dp/B0151S6T7S/ref=sr_1_7?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1458949600&sr=1-7&keywords=powder+mage+trilogy

The Fionavar Tapestry

“There are kinds of action, for good or ill, that lie so far outside the boundaries of normal behavior that they force us, in acknowledging that they have occurred, to restructure our own understanding of reality. We have to make room for them.”

Another example of beautiful prose. This is a retelling of Arthurian legend, and Guy Gavrial Kay writes a heartbreaking rendition of this story. He story captures a kind of hopeful tragedy, of woeful destiny. It's hard to describe. Experience it for yourself.

Plot: Five University of Toronto students are approached by a wizard who recognizes their true selves and transports them to a new world, the True World, off of which all others are based. It sounds strange, I know, but the story is just beautiful. They find themselves in this world populated by gods, demons, orcs, monsters,and legends, and have to learn to survive. This is High Fantasy, black and white with no grays in between. The struggles are human and real, despite the high fantasy setting, and this is one of the rare series that brought tears to my eyes.

http://www.amazon.com/Fionavar-Tapestry-3-Book-Series/dp/B00WKO81UK/ref=sr_1_5?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1458949563&sr=1-5&keywords=the+fionavar+tapestry

The Abhorsen Series

“For everyone and everything, there is a time to die. Some do not know it, or would delay it, but its truth cannot be denied. Not when you look into the stars of the ninth gate.”

I'm still not exactly sure how to pronounce the name of the series, but don't let that deter you. This is a modern fantasy, for the most part. Nix does a good job of keeping you engaged in the story, and it's fun to see the characters grow over the course of the series.

Plot: Sabriel lives in a modern world, but to the north lies a wall that separates the Old kingdom and the New. North of the wall is a realm of magic and monsters, and they are tired of being trapped. Sabriel's father is the Abhorsen, a necromancer tasked with shepherding the spirits of the dead down through the ninth gate, and banishing any demons that try to crawl their way back out. But when he mysteriously disappears it's up to Sabriel to discover where he's gone, and to master her power over life and death. This is another YA series, but worth checking out.

http://www.amazon.com/Abhorsen-Trilogy-Box-Set/dp/0060734191/ref=sr_1_2?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1458949626&sr=1-2&keywords=abhorsen

The Riftwar Saga

“You will have to make decisions far worse. You are going to have to learn to think before you act, but never to regret your decisions, right or wrong. Otherwise, you will slowly begin to not make decisions at all.”

Another rags to riches type story, but you can forgive it because this is one of those series that spawned the cliches. Written over thirty years ago this series holds up surprisingly well. This is another very influential series that inspired new authors. (Christopher Paolini's novels borrow heavily from Riftwar saga, read them both and see the similarities).

Plot: Pug is an orphan who though a series of events discovers he has magical powers. Your typical orphan heroes journey, but Feist does it well. Pug gets transported to a seperate dimension with a powerhungry empire looking to expand it's influence across multiple realms. There are magicians and elves and dragon riders and its an overall good time.

http://www.amazon.com/Riftwar-Saga-Raymond-E-Feist/dp/0553333240/ref=sr_1_2?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1458949648&sr=1-2&keywords=riftwar+saga

The Iron Druid Series

"You have never killed a Druid all by yourself, and you never will. Only with hordes of Bacchants and Roman legionnaires and the aid of Minerva have you ever managed to slay a single one of us. Your lackeys may get me eventually, and I know that I will never be able to slay you, but admit to yourself now that you, alone, will never prove my equal. The earth obeys me, son, not some petty god of grape and goblet." I switched to English for a postscript, "So suck on that, bitch.”

Similar to the Dresden Files. If you like that series, you should definitely check out this one, and the other way around. Hearne's novels are short, fun reads with a lot of action and some hilarious characters. Set in modern day, Gods from all pantheons are real, and they are pretty much all assholes. Check it out for a fun read.

Plot: Atticus is a druid, a last one of his kind, and more than a thousand years old. He starts the series kicking ass, and continues on throughout. Atticus (not his real name) has spent the majority of his centuries long life hiding and traveling. He currently resides in Arizona b/c gods of the earth and Irish forests tend to avoid deserts. But a god has caught up with him and Atticus needs to make a choice: stand his ground and fight, or keep running.

http://www.amazon.com/Iron-Druid-Chronicles-Book/dp/B015TGO51E/ref=sr_1_5?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1458949672&sr=1-5&keywords=iron+druid+chronicles

The Shadows of the Apt

“Progress is made by the improvement of people, not the improvement of machines.”

An interesting series, more of a YA fantasy than the others on my list so far. I enjoyed it because of it's uniqueness.
Humans have insect traits and features. The humble, hardworking mechanically inclined beetle people; the imperial minded wasps; the ninja like mantis; the clandestine spiders; the militaristic mindless ants, etc. It's a cool and inventive system.

Plot: The Wasps are slowly conquering the world and a small group of insects of different backgrounds join the fight to protect their country from the empire of black and gold. This series is what my brother would call fast food fantasy. A quick, fun, easy read.

http://www.amazon.com/Empire-Black-Gold-Shadows-Apt/dp/1616141921/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1458949245&sr=1-1&keywords=shadows+of+the+apt

Zero Sight Series

“Let me take a moment to point out the glaringly obvious. Humans are idiots.”

This is kind of a Harry Potter for adults. Not a very well known series, but enjoyable all the same. And B. Justin Shier is a med student who wrote these books in his spare time. Support a struggling author (while Dr's make good money, they have hundreds of thousands of dollars in debt, not including undergrad loans, and med students are dirt poor). Understandably we've been waiting for the third book in the series for a while, b/c you know, med school. Hopefully we'll be seeing it soon.

Plot: Dieter grew up in a bad home, and despite his frequent school yard fights, he works hard to get good grades and pull his life out of the dirt. During a fight he discovered he has magical powers, and not the 'running from a bully and I magically end up on the roof' type of accidentally discovering magical powers. He then gets recruited to a magical university where he hones his skills. It's a fun series by an amateur author and worth the read.

http://www.amazon.com/Zero-Sight-2-Book/dp/B00XM7F03U/ref=sr_1_4?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1458949719&sr=1-4&keywords=zero+sight+series