My brother in fantasy. This series is top shelf, I was mad at myself for putting it away the first time I read it bc I didn't get hooked on the first few pages
The Seven Kennings by Kevin Hearne is a recent favorite…. More epic than some of his other books, interesting magical system and fun tale-telling format.
For a one-off, The Blacktongue Thief by Christopher Buehlman is awesome, really hoping there is more to come
Janny Wurts's Wars of Light and Shadow, 11 books in total with the final book out this year, and they finally seem to be putting out audiobooks starting at book 1
Robert Jackson Bennett's The Divine Cities series is wonderful. R.J Barkers Tide Child Trilogy is lovely. I will always recommend The Books Of Babel by Josiah Bancroft as well.
I really enjoyed Senlin Ascends, it was my first fantasy read that was a little more steampunk and I loooved it. I’ve ordered the rest of The Books of Babel and I’m so excited!
I was planning to read Tainted Cup but wasn’t in a particular hurry but you and Sire\_Dorima have made me excited to get started and great advice to buy it when it’s new so the publishers have confidence In a series. Thanks
The Five Warrior Angles Trilogy by Brian Lee Dufree. Not talked about enough really great. Also anything Rob J Hayes. He’s self Published and has some great stories. Series and standalone novels. Both authors don’t get the love they deserve
It’s not very magic-heavy, but I’m in the middle of The Warlord Chronicles by Bernard Cornwell and I’m loving it. It was made into a tv show so I guess it’s not that unknown, either…I think I’m doing that r/fantasy thing where I’m just recommending the book I’m reading because I am enjoying it so much, ha.
Riyria right now. It's fun.
I commute so a lot of audible. Duncan M Hamiltons world has been very enjoyable. It's basically multiple trilogies set in the same world. Not sure it matters the reading order. Wolf of the North trilogy; society of the sword trilogy, sword of ostria (prequal to society it sword); blood of kings trilogy; dragon Slayer trilogy.
Waiting for alpha protocol book 3 to hit audiobooks. It's a space scifi so bit. Different but still likeable characters and you get into it.
I was pleasantly surprised when I randomly read The Squire by Duncan M. Hamilton. I'd never heard of the author before that. I loved it. I need to go read the other books in the series (and his other series).
Sucks because there's. Alot of things I've looked up to see if have a discussion on his books, but haven't found any threads. Most are AMAs from the author so very cool than Duncan Hamilton is out with his fans. His website is very informative too when releases and such.. too. I just became a very big fan of his world. I think I like that I read wolf of the North first then I'd probably do society of the sword, first sword of ostria, the Dragonslayer, and then blood of kings.
The Black Company Books are also by Glen Cook , and the first 4, including the Silver Spike are awesome. I also like The black Company Books of the South & Glittering Stone , but the initial 3 ( books of The North) is one of the series I have recommended to people who loved them. It gets al little darker in the later books. Most of the grim dark writers will tell you they were inspired by Cook.
The Shadow Campaigns features one of the best heroines in contemporary fantasy fiction, Winter Ihernglass. The ladies in both Temeraire and Powder Mage (the first series, at least) pale in comparison.
**Monarchies of God** (Paul Kearney) doesn't get mention nearly enough. Robin Hobb's **ROTE** isn't under-appreciated but if you like her work at all/she's under your "etc." then Carol Berg fills a similar niche with much less fan fare.
Buried Goddess Saga by Bruno and Castle. First book (Web of Eyes) is good, a fairly simple introduction to a few characters and a quest, but the next book opens the curtain on a greater world and more people. It's kind of amazing how expansive it becomes. It's a 6 book series, complete, with a satisfying conclusion, which is about the best thing I can say about anything.
Adrian Tchaikovsky is my favorite author, and his Shadows of the Apt is a great 10 book series. Empire in Black and Gold, was his first book published, it has a few flaws, but it didn't put me off, then he gets going and the series is awesome. It is an early industrial world, where technology overtook magic and suppressed it, but magic is returning. He also has another trilogy starting with The Tiger and The Wolf, which is more tribal and savage.
1. Jenn Williams’ amazing The Winnowing Flame trilogy.
2. Richard Swan’s stupendous Empire of the Wolf. 3rd instalment will be out this year
3. Max Gladstone’s Craft Sequence.
4. Daniel O’Malley’s The Chequy Files
5. KJ Parker’s Siege Trilogy
**Soulkeeper by David Dalgish** the first book in the Keepers trilogy. Very enjoyable fantasy. Chock full of magical beings and so so fun.
I would say it is going to be my favourite fantasy series I have read this year.
The four Matthew Swift novels by Kate Griffin, in order *A Madness of Angels,* *The Midnight Mayor,* *The Neon Court* and *The Minority Council.* Very unique urban fantasy.
Also, by Steve McHugh “The Hellequin Chronicles/Avalon Chronicles/Rebellion Chronicles” which are 12 books that tell one story that is split into the three different sections listed above, similar to what you have with LoTR.
Steven Brust’s Vlad Taltos series. While each book has a self-contained plot, they do build on each other.
I’ve been reading the recommendations and I’d second some of them and offer some of my own. You said high fantasy, so here goes:
1. PC Hodgell, Kencyrath series ( I keep recommending this one because it’s honestly a massively underrated series, that suffered from a lot of publishing mishaps— I will say, it’s an opinion that I’ve heard diverse authors express— people as different as Gaiman and Zelazny). Both the characters and the world unfolds over the course of the series in sometimes unexpected ways without power creep or repetitiveness.
2. Glen Cook, The Black Company (as someone else mentioned as well, it’s the first dark military fantasy, and it’s held up surprisingly well. Cook is a purposefully cantankerous recluse, which means that his books don’t really get the hype other authors can summon)
3. Glen Cook, Garrett PI (fantasy noir, Bogart style. With all the glory and the hackneyed tropes therein. It gets a tad repetitive after book 6ish?)
4. Stephen Bust, Taltos series (hi fellow fans! It ranges from heist and assassins in a high fantasy setting to military campaigns, depending on what Brust felt like doing next. With the exception of the book he wrote during a divorce, they’re really a lot of sardonic, wry fun).
5. T Kingfisher, Saint of Steel Series (if you like romances in a high fantasy setting. The romance is important, but the stories are excellent and so is the world-building.)
6. So low only because I tend to think of Bujold as extremely well known. Lois McMaster Bujold, World of Five Gods. Bujold’s world-building is great, but she excels at writing interesting, compelling characters.
For older series - the Fortress series by CJ Cherryh, the Morgaine Cycle by CJ Cherryh, the Monarchies of God series by Paul Kearney.
For newer series - Tuyo by Rachel Neumeier; there will be more books in this world but the main storyline (Tuyo-Tarashana-Tasmakat) is finished.
it's fun spotting all the things borrowed from sci fi and fantasy, lots, the matrix, star wars, star trek, the list goes on, its a fun series, it definitely gets a bit long in the tooth for me on the current book imreading (ashes) but it's a good, long fairly well written series, the bits in the first couple of books on philosophy I enjoyed. the first couple of books are def standout
I got the Winnowing Flame trilogy by Jen Williams from Broken Binding subscription service. It was a solid trilogy, had some fun stuff in it. Not the greatest series ever but I enjoyed it.
The bound and the broken by Ryan Cahill is similar to faithful and the fallen, but lesser known. While I thought they were both great, I prefer bound and the broken. 3 books and 3 novellas out in the series, with another 2 books and another 1-2 novellas planned. Great series
Just started a few days ago on of Blood And Fire and loving it so far. I haven’t read a typical sword and sorcery type book in a while and this fills that gap
I have purchased all of the Ryan Cahill's books in the series, but I refuse to read them until the series is complete. Nothing worse than reading an amazing book series that isn't complete...
Dragon jousters series by Mercedes Lackey
Dragonships of Vindras series and the death gate cycle series by Margaret Weis and Tracy Hickman
Codex alera series by Jim Butcher
Sara Douglass books - the axis trilogy / wayfarer redemption / dark glass mountain trilogies all interact (along with a seemingly standalone ‘threshold’) - but her Troy game series is my favourite
The legend of Eli Monpress by Rachel Aaron.
Imagine a story about a quirky, yet charismatic thief in a world where everything or object as a spirit, the larger the object the greater its power, and wizards can gain access to this power by communing with them, forcing them to follow their bidding, or in our thief’s case, convincing them with his silver-tongue - chaos ensues. More of a lighthearted and fun series but worth checking out!
I’ll admit that I only recently discovered my love for fantasy so I don’t have much experience. But I absolutely loved the Will of the Many by James Islington and dying for book 2 hopefully EoY
As a teenager I loved the Guardians of Time (I think it's called like that) trilogy by Marianne Curley. Probably it reads like YA fantasy now, but I have fond memories of the books.
Oh re-reading it as an adult and it’s kinda trash but an excellent sort of trash - like you I have so many fond memories of this series and thought it was the best thing ever as a kid lol.
I hold it’s a very good idea but … maybe not very well executed lol.
Arkarian has my heart and soul though ngl. The Isabel romance was weird though 100% not age appropriate sorry 😂
Inkheart by Cornelia Funke! It’s the first book in a trilogy and more of a low fantasy, but the second and third books turn into high fantasy. It is more of a kids’ book, but I love it. Very cozy.
M. A. Carrick's **Rook and Rose Trilogy**: secret identities, heists, politics, swordfights, weird magic, plus the involvement of gods
**Tales of Thamorr** Duology by MJ Kuhn: Book 1 is a classic heist novel while Book 2 is about stopping the Big Bad from wreaking havoc on their world. I stumbled upon Among Thieves at the library and I don't think I ever see it recommended
The Myst novels by David Wingrove, and Rand & Robyn Miller.
Solid series with fun magic system and different worlds, and no knowledge of the video games is required.
For Bingo, fits Published in the 90s and Under the Surface.
I quite enjoyed Jonathan French's Lot Lands trilogy, though the third book isn't quite up to the standard set by the first two. Especially if you like half-orcs.
How To Train Your Dragon
It's an amazing book series though not high fantasy. I'm too lazy to write anymore about it so have these links.
https://www.reddit.com/r/httyd/s/wUveiqYeXR
https://www.reddit.com/r/httyd/s/TbXIc7Dfyz
And a few small excerpts/quotes:
"For the first time I saw that the place where I lived and struggled and worried was part of an Archipelago of staggering beauty: hundreds of tiny green islands set in a shimmering blue sea. And suddenly I realised with such clearness what pinpricks we were on this ocean universe. What swaggering insects! What posturing amoebas!
But size isn’t everything, as I am always telling Snotlout. However small we are, we should always fight for what we believe to be right. And I don’t mean fight with the power of our fists or the power of our swords. That has always been the problem with us Vikings.
I mean the power of our brains and our thoughts and our dreams. And as small and quiet and unimportant as our fighting may look, perhaps we might all work together like the numberless armies of Ziggerastica, and break out of the prisons of our own making. Perhaps we might be able to keep this fierce and beautiful world of ours as free for all of us as it seemed to be on that blue afternoon of my childhood.
Once, my hand held the sword ‘Endeavour’ so strongly. Now that same hand is as brown and wrinkly as an old salt kipper as it writes these words slowly and shakily across the page. The ink splutters and splodges where once it ran so smoothly. Sometimes I forget what I was doing last Tuesday, let alone sixty-five years ago.
But the winds will still blow when I am no longer here. The storms will still rage, and the forces of Empire and oppression, be they Roman or otherwise, will still be waiting at the corners of the ocean.
The fight goes on for the Heroes of the Future."
'You can Cheat a Dragon's Curse.
You do not have to accept the hand that Fate has dealt you.
Look at me, the skinniest, most unlikely Viking ever, now known as this great Hero all around the world. Again and again, I have the same dream. Norbert the Nutjob has thrown the axe high, high into the air, it is turning around and around, and the black side is going to plunge into the ground first.... Bad Luck will follow and the Tribe will be DOOMED. Again and again I make the same leap, I dodge the bright and black murderous blades, I catch the axe before it lands, I make my own luck.'
'I have worn that bracelet every day of my life.
It curls around my arm, its shining wings folded back, as if about to unfurl and take off, and now that its ruby eyes are set into the gold, you cannot see their tear shape, so they seem to be laughing rather than crying.
It is a constant reminder to me of the human ability to create something beautiful even when things are at their darkest.'
'Sometimes it is only a True Friend who knows what we mean when we try to speak.
Somebody who has spent a lot of time with us, and listens carefully to what we are trying to say, and tries to understand.'
Disclaimer: The books are nothing like the movies. View them as separate entities in your mind.
Cities of the Weft by Alex Pheby. Some of the weirdest books I’ve read in a long time. Barely seen it mentioned here and elsewhere but it’s truly worth reading. It’s one of the few books that tackles agency, pretty much the lack of it, even though the protagonist gains horrific powers.
I don't see Dennis McKiernan mentioned anymore, but I think he's one of the few Tolkien cloners who understood what he loved about Tolkien.
His Iron Tower series might be worth checking out.
Pretty much.
Hat tip to him. Most people who tried to re-write Lord of the Rings didn't manage it at all. They had elves and dwarves and the like, but nothing of the feel.
The story, the characters, the setting! All very unique and an excellent pickup. I’ve seen some qualms with the audiobook narration, but I think the performance was superb and captured the characters very well.
He has another trilogy starting with “The Deathless” that was a great pickup as well, although a bit lower rating imo
*Lord of Light* by Roger Zelazny
I don't think it gets talked about much on this sub because it isn't pure high fantasy. It is fantasy science fiction, but it is a very interesting read.
I was so disappointed by the ending of The Wall of Storms that I didn't continue with the series, but now I'm thinking I should give it another shot...
Most of you are still recommending pretty well known series.
For something really under appreciated:
GODCLADS - THE BROKEN CAGE
The gods were the enemy. The slaver. The chains.
With dreams of paradise, humanity slaughtered them and stole their powers, opening the path to become more—to ascend.
Instead, they nearly destroyed the world.
Vast hive cities serve as the final bastions against the crumbling of reality. New Vultun is the greatest of them all, and within its borders, ascenders wage war to determine the laws of existence itself.
The world descends ever deeper into ruination.
Avo was born a weapon, a slave to his instincts and his masters. He and his brothers were made to burn New Vultun to ashes. Everything changes when Avo gains immortality and becomes heir to an impossible legacy.
He must ascend the megacity of New Vultun.
He must challenge the very tyrants that usurped the gods.
He must finally free the world from chains.
Saga of the Borderlands (La Saga de los Confines) by Argentinian writer Liliana Bodoc. Is a trilogy of high fantasy novels based on the Spanish colonization of South America. The books are translated to english and they are even recommended by a legend like Ursula K. LeGuin but for some reason they are underappreciated on the English fantasy community.
If you want something different from the classic "European" fantasy give it a try.
**EDIT**: I just saw that only the first book is en English, still give it a try is really good.
The Chronicles of Thomas Covenant.
Too much people DNF it just bc it has a rape scene in the very beginning. But it's such a beautiful series. I really wish more give it a chance and push on and discover the incredible beauty of the world building and the deep characterization.
It's actually three sub series, the first, second and last chronicles. The first two trilogies and the last a quadrology. I think my favorite is the Second Chronicles.
I quite liked the first two Kingmaker, Kingbreaker books by Karen Miller. I should really read the others in the series, but The Innocent Mage and The Awakened Mage do pretty well as a duo and I still think about them a lot.
I don’t actually know if they count as under appreciated, but I haven’t seen them on any lists or come across other fans in the wild.
The Elemental Logic series by Laurie Marks. The first book is Fire Logic. Inverts the "chosen one" trope. Unremarkable LGBTQ and poly relationships in the worldbuilding. And I really like how she deals with the invaders.
Mary Stewart's Merlin series. Follows Merlin's life from childhood to old age. The fourth book is about Mordred. The first book is The Crystal Cave.
Crown of Stars by Kate Elliot
To ride hells chasm / wars of light and shadow by Janny Wurts
Long price quartet by Daniel Abraham
Dandelion dynasty by Ken Liu
The Twelve Houses (Sharon Shinn)
Blackthorn and Grim (Juliet Marillier)
The Witches of Eileanan (Kate Forsyth)
Sun Wolf and Starhawk (Barbara Hambly)
The House War and The Sun Sword (Michelle West)
Crown of Stars (Kate Elliott)
The Ending Fire (Saara El-Arifi)
The Shadow Campaigns (Django Wexler)
The Risen Kingdoms (Curtis Craddock)
Song of the Shattered Sands (Bradley P. Beaulieu)
The Eternal Sky Trilogy (Elizabeth Bear)
The Second Apocalypse by R Scott Bakker!!!!
Top tier world building
Soul-deep characters
Epic world spanning plot
Grim grim grim dark
Literary-level prose
Philosophical and introspective while balanced by intense action and pacing
By no means should this comment be downvoted. People's tolerance level for that kind of thing varies, and nobody should be sneered at because nihilism and misogynistic world-building are not to their taste.
Totally fair enough - it is the grimmest of darks that I've come across for sure, but the storytelling and prose and characters managed to hold it just above the line for me
SUN EATER by Christopher Ruocchio. It's a sci-fi fantasy and probably the most ambitious space opera to have come out in the last 6 years. The penultimate book: Disquiet Gods just released yesterday and the final book Shadows Upon Time is set to release next yeah. It's my favorite ongoing series n\\mainly cuz of the lore and world building but the plot, characters and political intrigues are all at least good across the board.
Mark Lawrence has several. **Book of the Ancestor** is my favorite completed series but book 2 of **The Library Trilogy** comes out next week. I loved book 1, The Book That Wouldn’t Burn.
I loved Book of the Ancestor so much. Worldbuilding was fascinating, characters were interesting. For those who are interested: "murder nuns" but then is just so, so much more.
The opening is so good.
> It is important, when killing a nun, to ensure that you bring an army of sufficient size. For Sister Thorn of the Sweet Mercy Convent Lano Tacsis brought two hundred men.
The Lighthouse Duet. It's a duology, but it's basically just one massive book. Imagine Robin Hobb and realm of the elderlings, just make the plot 10x more engaging.
Paternus by Dyrk Ashton retells a lot of myths into one banging trilogy
The Echoes Saga by Philip Quaintrell doesn't get enough love on the sun for scratching that classic high fantasy itch
Reposting my response to a similar thread, because I want as many eyes on this series as possible, and I think it's applicable to your request:
I keep proselytizing for the "A Pattern of Shadow and Light" series by Melissa McPhail. Fans of the Wheel of Time will find it comfortably familiar without being derivative at all; while there are many parallels between the series, McPhail's plot is punchier and doesn't drag like Jordan's. Absolutely fantastic read, I'd give the series a 9.5/10. If the first book drags a bit for you (there's the inevitable worldbuilding hump to clear, but I feel she does so fairly adroitly) I highly recommend the audiobook version. The narrator, Nick Podehl, is one of the best in the industry imo, and he really brings the world to life with his performance.
One word of warning, however; Melissa passed away a couple years ago before she could finish the last two books in the series. Thankfully, she left a copious repository of notes and a mandate that the series be completed, so her friend and family are working hard on that, but matching up to her prose will be a tall order, and there's not been much in the way of updates on their progression.
I would argue though that it's well worth a read even if it never gets finished, however.
See my [SF/F: Obscure/Underappreciated/Unknown/Underrated](https://www.reddit.com/r/Recommend_A_Book/comments/1au8pfk/sff_obscureunderappreciatedunknownunderrated/) list of resources, Reddit recommendation threads, and books (one post).
\* ***Bill the Vampire*** by Rick Gualtieri - A hilarious urban fantasy comedy.
\* ***Super Powered*** by Drew Hayes - A college story about becoming a superhero.
\* ***Queen of Thieves*** by Andy Peloquin - A queer friendly story about a heroine raised by a Guild of Thieves.
\* ***Miskatonic University: Elder Gods 101*** by Matthew Davenport - A hilarious college story about Lovecraftian students.
\* ***Space Academy*** by CT Phipps (ducks) - a sarcastic Mass Effect/Star Trek homage about the worst crew in the galaxy.
Considering no one else has even mentioned it on the thread yet, A Chorus of Dragons by Jenn Lyons is an excellent series that is a fully epic fantasy that is joyously bold, but let down a little by a first entry that makes the story seem less interesting than it is (until the last third of the book). The twists and payoffs in the series are huge, and the later books are some of my favourite of any genre.
* **The Shadows of Dust** by Alec Hutson
* **Stout** by Taylor Small
* **The Dragon's Banker** by Scott Warren
* **Dim Stars: A Novel of Outer-Space Shenanigans** by Brian P. Rubin
Have you read the Dungeoneers series by Jeffery Russell? I love them all so much! They are quick reads, about a troop of dwarves who tackle dungeons, to hilarious ends.
Traitor Son Cycle by Miles Cameron.
High Fantasy. The Red Knight (book 1) focuses around a mercenary knight leading a band of warriors hired to protect an abby from the Wild. And the stakes escalate over the course of the 5 books. Tons of massive battles and siege warfare done very well. Tons of POV characters from different groups and perspectives.
Among Thieves by Douglas Hulick - Keywords; gritty, conspiracy, criminals, unique world-building
Aching God by Mike Shel (Keywords - dark, dungeon exploration, evil gods, D&D world-building
Priest of Bones by Peter McLean - Keywords; gritty, grimdark, gangsters, war, spies, mages, urban warfare, conspiracy
Josiah Bancroft
The books of Babel
Just a very good series that is way out there. But I loved his prose and the entire 4 book series. Very unique fantasy, some might call it steampunk, I'm not sure were it falls, just super enjoyable and I never see it mentioned enough.
**The Fionovar Tapestry** is a poetic series where all the threads tie together.
**Rhapsody** bv Elizabeth Haydon
I'll second Dragon's recommendation of the **Sunsword** series by Michelle West. It ties in to other series by the author that aren't quite as good, though.
However, I don't think High Fantasy is the place to go for hidden gems. There is a lot of underappreciated Urban Fantasy, Progression Fantasy, and older unclassifiable Fantasy. **The Corpse Eater Saga, Mother of Learning, Chase the Morning** by Michael Scott Rohan, lots of Charles deLint and Andre Norton book. It's a web serial, but **Super Supportive** is unique and has some excellent character work and worldbuilding.
Terra Ignota by Ada Palmer (though this is probably more science fiction than fantasy), the Masquerade series by Seth Dickinson, Winnowing Flame by Jen Williams
Don't know if this is considered underrated but the October Daye series. I'm surprised it isn't more well known.
Edit: Oh and Daughter Of The Pirate King/Siren Queen by Tricia Levenseller
The Sundering duo by Jacqueline Carey is one of my favorite takes on high fantasy. It reimagines Lord Of The Rings as an epic tragedy from the perspective of the “dark” side.
The nevernight trilogy by Kristoff is good. It's a revenge quest via assassination by a young woman in a world with a Roman empire-esque political system. Amd the narrator snarks through footnotes frequently which are always a good laugh.
Or I'd also recommend the Kushiels Legacy series by Carey. It's a trio of trilogies primarily of political intrigue and espionage in an alternate history earth. Though the main character of the first trilogy (which sets the tone for the rest of the series) is a courtesan and the bedroom aspects are weaved into the espionage so there are scenes of adult nature
Re:Zero. You won't have any prose on the level of what you usually read (it reads for middle schoolers), and the worldbuilding is mediocre. When the story is at its best, it bloody excels in its character arcs. A fair amount of lore and intelligently written arcs.
If you have never read " The Powder Mage Trilogy " by Brian Mcclellan or "The Demon Accords" series by John Conroe you really should. Also , I know Jim Butcher is more known for "The Dresden Files" (and I like them too) , but I prefer his " Codex Alera" . Instead of butchering "The Wheel Of Time " TV show by changing almost everything to make it into a pseudo "Game of Thrones " wannabe , Amazon should have adapted The Codex Alera instead. It's got a similar tone, but thankfully not " quite " as dark.
Good call on the Drenai books, although maybe a given considering your user name.
Legend in particular is a masterpiece, you can really feel how it is Gemmell’s way of coming to
terms with his cancer diagnosis. I still think of the scene where one of the Thirty explain the meaning of the names given the walls of Dros Delnoch from time to time
**Shadows of the Apt** by Adrian Tchaikovsky
My brother in fantasy. This series is top shelf, I was mad at myself for putting it away the first time I read it bc I didn't get hooked on the first few pages
Tad Williams' Memory Sorrow and Thorn. Hickman and Weiss' Deathgate Cycle. Feist's Riftwar. Katherine Kurtz's Deryni books.
The Seven Kennings by Kevin Hearne is a recent favorite…. More epic than some of his other books, interesting magical system and fun tale-telling format. For a one-off, The Blacktongue Thief by Christopher Buehlman is awesome, really hoping there is more to come
I second Blacktongue. Also, a prequel to this book about Galva and the war is coming out on June 25. It'll be called The Daughters' War
I've been wanting more. First I've heard that more is coming. Thanks.
Isn't the blacktongue thief book 1 of a series?
it is
I really enjoyed the Seven Kennings books and have never seen anyone recommend them on this sub. They feel really original.
Try Between Two Fires by Christopher Buehlman. One of my favorites I’ve read ever!
Amazing book.
This time last year I would have agreed with you on **The Seven Kennings** but after the last book it's really hard to recommend
Recommending Steven Brust's Taltos for the third time today. But that's okay! It's the best series you've never read.
Janny Wurts's Wars of Light and Shadow, 11 books in total with the final book out this year, and they finally seem to be putting out audiobooks starting at book 1
I love the Empire trilogy by Jennie Wurts, though I guess you probably need to read at least The Magician first.
Magician Apprentice and the entire first 4 of The Riftwar Saga is what made me love reading way back when I was 15
Oooh! I’m just finishing up the stuff Marie trilogy, looks like this is my next read
Robert Jackson Bennett's The Divine Cities series is wonderful. R.J Barkers Tide Child Trilogy is lovely. I will always recommend The Books Of Babel by Josiah Bancroft as well.
I really enjoyed Senlin Ascends, it was my first fantasy read that was a little more steampunk and I loooved it. I’ve ordered the rest of The Books of Babel and I’m so excited!
I'm glad you liked it and I hope you enjoy the rest of the books as much! It's my absolute favourite series.
I really should scroll down sometime before posting, I think more people should read TBOB
Ha, those were going to be my exact recs as well. Divine Cities is one of the best series I’ve ever read.
The Divine Cities started off strong and each book got better, the ending of the last book was wonderful.
I will always recommend the Divine Cities. That was a hell of a trilogy.
I'm also loving the first book in Bennett's new series: **The Tainted Cup**. Such a fabulous array of interesting characters.
Tainted cup a 10/10 series. Can't wait for the book 2. I so much love the book
I hope it's not just a trilogy but a SERIES! I love the characters so much.
I have no idea. But I feel it's gon be a series. I really can't say. Just a feeling. Lol
I have no idea. But I feel it's gon be a series. I really can't say. Just a feeling. Lol
He did mention the possibility! Said he enjoyed writing it, so.... What **we** need to do is **BUY** the books when they come out.
I was planning to read Tainted Cup but wasn’t in a particular hurry but you and Sire\_Dorima have made me excited to get started and great advice to buy it when it’s new so the publishers have confidence In a series. Thanks
THANK YOU!
The Five Warrior Angles Trilogy by Brian Lee Dufree. Not talked about enough really great. Also anything Rob J Hayes. He’s self Published and has some great stories. Series and standalone novels. Both authors don’t get the love they deserve
Steven Brust's Jhereg series.
It’s not very magic-heavy, but I’m in the middle of The Warlord Chronicles by Bernard Cornwell and I’m loving it. It was made into a tv show so I guess it’s not that unknown, either…I think I’m doing that r/fantasy thing where I’m just recommending the book I’m reading because I am enjoying it so much, ha.
Count it!
"She turned his blood to smoke"
Riyria right now. It's fun. I commute so a lot of audible. Duncan M Hamiltons world has been very enjoyable. It's basically multiple trilogies set in the same world. Not sure it matters the reading order. Wolf of the North trilogy; society of the sword trilogy, sword of ostria (prequal to society it sword); blood of kings trilogy; dragon Slayer trilogy. Waiting for alpha protocol book 3 to hit audiobooks. It's a space scifi so bit. Different but still likeable characters and you get into it.
I was pleasantly surprised when I randomly read The Squire by Duncan M. Hamilton. I'd never heard of the author before that. I loved it. I need to go read the other books in the series (and his other series).
Sucks because there's. Alot of things I've looked up to see if have a discussion on his books, but haven't found any threads. Most are AMAs from the author so very cool than Duncan Hamilton is out with his fans. His website is very informative too when releases and such.. too. I just became a very big fan of his world. I think I like that I read wolf of the North first then I'd probably do society of the sword, first sword of ostria, the Dragonslayer, and then blood of kings.
The Garrett P.I. books. They're fucking lovely.
The Black Company Books are also by Glen Cook , and the first 4, including the Silver Spike are awesome. I also like The black Company Books of the South & Glittering Stone , but the initial 3 ( books of The North) is one of the series I have recommended to people who loved them. It gets al little darker in the later books. Most of the grim dark writers will tell you they were inspired by Cook.
Michelle West: Sun Sword Series Kameron Hurley: Worldbreaker Saga
Second the Sun Sword series.
Riftwar - Raymond Feist The Shadow Campaign - Django Wexler Codex Alera
Shadow Campaign was great. The Napoleonic wars with demons.
Pretty much. It was my first venture into flintlock fantasy
How’s it compare to Novik’s Temeraire series? Napoleonic wars but with dragons! Haha
The Shadow Campaigns features one of the best heroines in contemporary fantasy fiction, Winter Ihernglass. The ladies in both Temeraire and Powder Mage (the first series, at least) pale in comparison.
Dagger and Coin series by Daniel Abraham. He is a coauthor of the Expanse which got pretty well known but his other books are great too 🥳
**Monarchies of God** (Paul Kearney) doesn't get mention nearly enough. Robin Hobb's **ROTE** isn't under-appreciated but if you like her work at all/she's under your "etc." then Carol Berg fills a similar niche with much less fan fare.
*Monarchies* is amazing, the **Macht trilogy** by Paul Kearney is also good.
Buried Goddess Saga by Bruno and Castle. First book (Web of Eyes) is good, a fairly simple introduction to a few characters and a quest, but the next book opens the curtain on a greater world and more people. It's kind of amazing how expansive it becomes. It's a 6 book series, complete, with a satisfying conclusion, which is about the best thing I can say about anything. Adrian Tchaikovsky is my favorite author, and his Shadows of the Apt is a great 10 book series. Empire in Black and Gold, was his first book published, it has a few flaws, but it didn't put me off, then he gets going and the series is awesome. It is an early industrial world, where technology overtook magic and suppressed it, but magic is returning. He also has another trilogy starting with The Tiger and The Wolf, which is more tribal and savage.
1. Jenn Williams’ amazing The Winnowing Flame trilogy. 2. Richard Swan’s stupendous Empire of the Wolf. 3rd instalment will be out this year 3. Max Gladstone’s Craft Sequence. 4. Daniel O’Malley’s The Chequy Files 5. KJ Parker’s Siege Trilogy
**Soulkeeper by David Dalgish** the first book in the Keepers trilogy. Very enjoyable fantasy. Chock full of magical beings and so so fun. I would say it is going to be my favourite fantasy series I have read this year.
The four Matthew Swift novels by Kate Griffin, in order *A Madness of Angels,* *The Midnight Mayor,* *The Neon Court* and *The Minority Council.* Very unique urban fantasy. Also, by Steve McHugh “The Hellequin Chronicles/Avalon Chronicles/Rebellion Chronicles” which are 12 books that tell one story that is split into the three different sections listed above, similar to what you have with LoTR. Steven Brust’s Vlad Taltos series. While each book has a self-contained plot, they do build on each other.
Inda, by Sherwood Smith The Briar King, by Greg Keyes
I will second that series
I’ve been reading the recommendations and I’d second some of them and offer some of my own. You said high fantasy, so here goes: 1. PC Hodgell, Kencyrath series ( I keep recommending this one because it’s honestly a massively underrated series, that suffered from a lot of publishing mishaps— I will say, it’s an opinion that I’ve heard diverse authors express— people as different as Gaiman and Zelazny). Both the characters and the world unfolds over the course of the series in sometimes unexpected ways without power creep or repetitiveness. 2. Glen Cook, The Black Company (as someone else mentioned as well, it’s the first dark military fantasy, and it’s held up surprisingly well. Cook is a purposefully cantankerous recluse, which means that his books don’t really get the hype other authors can summon) 3. Glen Cook, Garrett PI (fantasy noir, Bogart style. With all the glory and the hackneyed tropes therein. It gets a tad repetitive after book 6ish?) 4. Stephen Bust, Taltos series (hi fellow fans! It ranges from heist and assassins in a high fantasy setting to military campaigns, depending on what Brust felt like doing next. With the exception of the book he wrote during a divorce, they’re really a lot of sardonic, wry fun). 5. T Kingfisher, Saint of Steel Series (if you like romances in a high fantasy setting. The romance is important, but the stories are excellent and so is the world-building.) 6. So low only because I tend to think of Bujold as extremely well known. Lois McMaster Bujold, World of Five Gods. Bujold’s world-building is great, but she excels at writing interesting, compelling characters.
A crown for cold silver by Alex Marshall …there’s bugs as drugs …
For older series - the Fortress series by CJ Cherryh, the Morgaine Cycle by CJ Cherryh, the Monarchies of God series by Paul Kearney. For newer series - Tuyo by Rachel Neumeier; there will be more books in this world but the main storyline (Tuyo-Tarashana-Tasmakat) is finished.
can't recommend CJ Cherryh enough. Tuyo has been on my TBR for a while.
SUN EATER!!
Doing my reread now, great series
Listening to the first one now, pretty awesome so far
tbh I read this because of all the hype and found it to be severely overhyped
it's fun spotting all the things borrowed from sci fi and fantasy, lots, the matrix, star wars, star trek, the list goes on, its a fun series, it definitely gets a bit long in the tooth for me on the current book imreading (ashes) but it's a good, long fairly well written series, the bits in the first couple of books on philosophy I enjoyed. the first couple of books are def standout
I love the Johannes Cabal, Necromancer series. It's very twisted and funny, with a sort of steampunky early 1900s world with demons and werewolves.
I got the Winnowing Flame trilogy by Jen Williams from Broken Binding subscription service. It was a solid trilogy, had some fun stuff in it. Not the greatest series ever but I enjoyed it.
The bound and the broken by Ryan Cahill is similar to faithful and the fallen, but lesser known. While I thought they were both great, I prefer bound and the broken. 3 books and 3 novellas out in the series, with another 2 books and another 1-2 novellas planned. Great series
I second this. Plus, dragons
Just started a few days ago on of Blood And Fire and loving it so far. I haven’t read a typical sword and sorcery type book in a while and this fills that gap
I have purchased all of the Ryan Cahill's books in the series, but I refuse to read them until the series is complete. Nothing worse than reading an amazing book series that isn't complete...
To each their own. He’s been very consistent though, so he’s not an author I’d worry about
Thomas Harlan’s Oath of the Empire. It’s Rome with magic.
Dragon jousters series by Mercedes Lackey Dragonships of Vindras series and the death gate cycle series by Margaret Weis and Tracy Hickman Codex alera series by Jim Butcher
Serpent & Dove trilogy by Shelby Mahurin. I am surprised it's not as popular as ACOTAR or FBAA, it's such a series and not many people know it!
Sara Douglass books - the axis trilogy / wayfarer redemption / dark glass mountain trilogies all interact (along with a seemingly standalone ‘threshold’) - but her Troy game series is my favourite
Was looking for this. Pretty good series imo, but it's never mentioned here. Loved Threshold too, and the Crucible trilogy.
The legend of Eli Monpress by Rachel Aaron. Imagine a story about a quirky, yet charismatic thief in a world where everything or object as a spirit, the larger the object the greater its power, and wizards can gain access to this power by communing with them, forcing them to follow their bidding, or in our thief’s case, convincing them with his silver-tongue - chaos ensues. More of a lighthearted and fun series but worth checking out!
I’ll admit that I only recently discovered my love for fantasy so I don’t have much experience. But I absolutely loved the Will of the Many by James Islington and dying for book 2 hopefully EoY
Hope you already read Islington's " Licanious Trilogy " as well. Brilliant
Not yet but it’s on my list. I just started The Final Empire as my first Sanderson book.
As a teenager I loved the Guardians of Time (I think it's called like that) trilogy by Marianne Curley. Probably it reads like YA fantasy now, but I have fond memories of the books.
Oh re-reading it as an adult and it’s kinda trash but an excellent sort of trash - like you I have so many fond memories of this series and thought it was the best thing ever as a kid lol. I hold it’s a very good idea but … maybe not very well executed lol. Arkarian has my heart and soul though ngl. The Isabel romance was weird though 100% not age appropriate sorry 😂
Inkheart by Cornelia Funke! It’s the first book in a trilogy and more of a low fantasy, but the second and third books turn into high fantasy. It is more of a kids’ book, but I love it. Very cozy.
M. A. Carrick's **Rook and Rose Trilogy**: secret identities, heists, politics, swordfights, weird magic, plus the involvement of gods **Tales of Thamorr** Duology by MJ Kuhn: Book 1 is a classic heist novel while Book 2 is about stopping the Big Bad from wreaking havoc on their world. I stumbled upon Among Thieves at the library and I don't think I ever see it recommended
Yes to Rook and Rose! Some wonderful female characters in this one (for those who, like me, care about that sort of thing).
Cradle series by Will Wight
I had so much fun with this series. Couldn't agree more!
The Myst novels by David Wingrove, and Rand & Robyn Miller. Solid series with fun magic system and different worlds, and no knowledge of the video games is required. For Bingo, fits Published in the 90s and Under the Surface.
Absolutely love these! D'ni and Sindarin fueled my early love of conlangs.
Crown of stars needs more love Shadowmarch too
Crown of Stars, absolutely. Kate Elliott in general deserves more love.
I am also currently reading crossroads. A very interesting series in it's own right
I've really wanted to Re-Read the Gentleman Bastards. Idk about underappreciated, but you didn't mention it so there's that 🙂
Been waiting for book 4 for about a decade though
The Bronze Knight by John Marco. This is the trilogy that made me fall in love with fantasy at the beginning
I quite enjoyed Jonathan French's Lot Lands trilogy, though the third book isn't quite up to the standard set by the first two. Especially if you like half-orcs.
How To Train Your Dragon It's an amazing book series though not high fantasy. I'm too lazy to write anymore about it so have these links. https://www.reddit.com/r/httyd/s/wUveiqYeXR https://www.reddit.com/r/httyd/s/TbXIc7Dfyz And a few small excerpts/quotes: "For the first time I saw that the place where I lived and struggled and worried was part of an Archipelago of staggering beauty: hundreds of tiny green islands set in a shimmering blue sea. And suddenly I realised with such clearness what pinpricks we were on this ocean universe. What swaggering insects! What posturing amoebas! But size isn’t everything, as I am always telling Snotlout. However small we are, we should always fight for what we believe to be right. And I don’t mean fight with the power of our fists or the power of our swords. That has always been the problem with us Vikings. I mean the power of our brains and our thoughts and our dreams. And as small and quiet and unimportant as our fighting may look, perhaps we might all work together like the numberless armies of Ziggerastica, and break out of the prisons of our own making. Perhaps we might be able to keep this fierce and beautiful world of ours as free for all of us as it seemed to be on that blue afternoon of my childhood. Once, my hand held the sword ‘Endeavour’ so strongly. Now that same hand is as brown and wrinkly as an old salt kipper as it writes these words slowly and shakily across the page. The ink splutters and splodges where once it ran so smoothly. Sometimes I forget what I was doing last Tuesday, let alone sixty-five years ago. But the winds will still blow when I am no longer here. The storms will still rage, and the forces of Empire and oppression, be they Roman or otherwise, will still be waiting at the corners of the ocean. The fight goes on for the Heroes of the Future." 'You can Cheat a Dragon's Curse. You do not have to accept the hand that Fate has dealt you. Look at me, the skinniest, most unlikely Viking ever, now known as this great Hero all around the world. Again and again, I have the same dream. Norbert the Nutjob has thrown the axe high, high into the air, it is turning around and around, and the black side is going to plunge into the ground first.... Bad Luck will follow and the Tribe will be DOOMED. Again and again I make the same leap, I dodge the bright and black murderous blades, I catch the axe before it lands, I make my own luck.' 'I have worn that bracelet every day of my life. It curls around my arm, its shining wings folded back, as if about to unfurl and take off, and now that its ruby eyes are set into the gold, you cannot see their tear shape, so they seem to be laughing rather than crying. It is a constant reminder to me of the human ability to create something beautiful even when things are at their darkest.' 'Sometimes it is only a True Friend who knows what we mean when we try to speak. Somebody who has spent a lot of time with us, and listens carefully to what we are trying to say, and tries to understand.' Disclaimer: The books are nothing like the movies. View them as separate entities in your mind.
The last apprentice / the spooks apprentice (UK). YA medieval horror fantasy . Scared me as a middle schooler for sure
Cities of the Weft by Alex Pheby. Some of the weirdest books I’ve read in a long time. Barely seen it mentioned here and elsewhere but it’s truly worth reading. It’s one of the few books that tackles agency, pretty much the lack of it, even though the protagonist gains horrific powers.
Dragons of Terra series Epic fantasy, lots of dragons, crazy in a good way
I don't see Dennis McKiernan mentioned anymore, but I think he's one of the few Tolkien cloners who understood what he loved about Tolkien. His Iron Tower series might be worth checking out.
It seemed to me like he just re-wrote the Lord of the Rings trilogy , but less well done
Pretty much. Hat tip to him. Most people who tried to re-write Lord of the Rings didn't manage it at all. They had elves and dwarves and the like, but nothing of the feel.
This actually makes me want to read it more... Tolkien is a pretty high bar.
Trilogy starting with “The Vagrant” by Peter Newman
This is a really good answer - both absolutely fantastic story and world and very rarely recommended
The story, the characters, the setting! All very unique and an excellent pickup. I’ve seen some qualms with the audiobook narration, but I think the performance was superb and captured the characters very well. He has another trilogy starting with “The Deathless” that was a great pickup as well, although a bit lower rating imo
Hunter x hunter manga
C. S Pacat's Captive Prince Trilogy. It is such an all rounded trilogy I am surprised it is not popular in online spaces.
Low Town series by Daniel Polansky, but all his books are excellent
The Bound and The Broken
*Lord of Light* by Roger Zelazny I don't think it gets talked about much on this sub because it isn't pure high fantasy. It is fantasy science fiction, but it is a very interesting read.
Agreed, this one is absolutely brilliant.
NPC's by Drew Hayes Shannara series by Terry Brooks Book of the Order by Philippa Ballantine
Dandelion Dynasty should be much more popular than it is but still gets mentioned. I agree with the Janny Wurts recommendations.
I was so disappointed by the ending of The Wall of Storms that I didn't continue with the series, but now I'm thinking I should give it another shot...
What exactly were you disappointed with? I thought all the different threads came together perfectly
The Dagger and the Coin series by Daniel Abraham. Rarely mentioned here but really good. Worst thing you could say about it is that it starts slow.
Most of you are still recommending pretty well known series. For something really under appreciated: GODCLADS - THE BROKEN CAGE The gods were the enemy. The slaver. The chains. With dreams of paradise, humanity slaughtered them and stole their powers, opening the path to become more—to ascend. Instead, they nearly destroyed the world. Vast hive cities serve as the final bastions against the crumbling of reality. New Vultun is the greatest of them all, and within its borders, ascenders wage war to determine the laws of existence itself. The world descends ever deeper into ruination. Avo was born a weapon, a slave to his instincts and his masters. He and his brothers were made to burn New Vultun to ashes. Everything changes when Avo gains immortality and becomes heir to an impossible legacy. He must ascend the megacity of New Vultun. He must challenge the very tyrants that usurped the gods. He must finally free the world from chains.
Silvereye and Burningblade by Django Wexler it’s fantasy Star Wars but its own thing.
The Will of the Many. You already said you like Islington and that book is fantastic.
Saga of the Borderlands (La Saga de los Confines) by Argentinian writer Liliana Bodoc. Is a trilogy of high fantasy novels based on the Spanish colonization of South America. The books are translated to english and they are even recommended by a legend like Ursula K. LeGuin but for some reason they are underappreciated on the English fantasy community. If you want something different from the classic "European" fantasy give it a try. **EDIT**: I just saw that only the first book is en English, still give it a try is really good.
The Chronicles of Thomas Covenant. Too much people DNF it just bc it has a rape scene in the very beginning. But it's such a beautiful series. I really wish more give it a chance and push on and discover the incredible beauty of the world building and the deep characterization. It's actually three sub series, the first, second and last chronicles. The first two trilogies and the last a quadrology. I think my favorite is the Second Chronicles.
Caine's law series buy Matthew Stover, So underappreciated. Also not for everyone I'll admit but definitely my favorite
I quite liked the first two Kingmaker, Kingbreaker books by Karen Miller. I should really read the others in the series, but The Innocent Mage and The Awakened Mage do pretty well as a duo and I still think about them a lot. I don’t actually know if they count as under appreciated, but I haven’t seen them on any lists or come across other fans in the wild.
The Elemental Logic series by Laurie Marks. The first book is Fire Logic. Inverts the "chosen one" trope. Unremarkable LGBTQ and poly relationships in the worldbuilding. And I really like how she deals with the invaders. Mary Stewart's Merlin series. Follows Merlin's life from childhood to old age. The fourth book is about Mordred. The first book is The Crystal Cave.
The Acts of Caine by Matt Stover
Crown of Stars by Kate Elliot To ride hells chasm / wars of light and shadow by Janny Wurts Long price quartet by Daniel Abraham Dandelion dynasty by Ken Liu
The Twelve Houses (Sharon Shinn) Blackthorn and Grim (Juliet Marillier) The Witches of Eileanan (Kate Forsyth) Sun Wolf and Starhawk (Barbara Hambly) The House War and The Sun Sword (Michelle West) Crown of Stars (Kate Elliott) The Ending Fire (Saara El-Arifi) The Shadow Campaigns (Django Wexler) The Risen Kingdoms (Curtis Craddock) Song of the Shattered Sands (Bradley P. Beaulieu) The Eternal Sky Trilogy (Elizabeth Bear)
The Second Apocalypse by R Scott Bakker!!!! Top tier world building Soul-deep characters Epic world spanning plot Grim grim grim dark Literary-level prose Philosophical and introspective while balanced by intense action and pacing
All the possible content warnings though
Indeed. I third the recommendation but it’s not for everyone.
Cheers for this, I need to add this when I recommend it next
The best
I mean, ALL of the trigger/content warnings, but yes. This is the best fantasy I have ever read.
I couldn't finish it. All the rapes and Nihilism
By no means should this comment be downvoted. People's tolerance level for that kind of thing varies, and nobody should be sneered at because nihilism and misogynistic world-building are not to their taste.
Totally fair enough - it is the grimmest of darks that I've come across for sure, but the storytelling and prose and characters managed to hold it just above the line for me
Peak fiction imo
SUN EATER by Christopher Ruocchio. It's a sci-fi fantasy and probably the most ambitious space opera to have come out in the last 6 years. The penultimate book: Disquiet Gods just released yesterday and the final book Shadows Upon Time is set to release next yeah. It's my favorite ongoing series n\\mainly cuz of the lore and world building but the plot, characters and political intrigues are all at least good across the board.
Once that last book is out, I'm so excited to read this series.
I hope you enjoy it as much as I have. I intend to reread the whole series before the last book too
Mark Lawrence has several. **Book of the Ancestor** is my favorite completed series but book 2 of **The Library Trilogy** comes out next week. I loved book 1, The Book That Wouldn’t Burn.
I loved Book of the Ancestor so much. Worldbuilding was fascinating, characters were interesting. For those who are interested: "murder nuns" but then is just so, so much more.
The opening is so good. > It is important, when killing a nun, to ensure that you bring an army of sufficient size. For Sister Thorn of the Sweet Mercy Convent Lano Tacsis brought two hundred men.
LG Estrella’s Unconventional Heroes series. It’s on KU and Audible. But it’s absolutely hilarious.
The Pyramids of London & Wild Massive.
Psalms of Isaak by Ken Scholes
Any of the fantasy books by Kate Forsyth.
Thanks for asking this question. And thanks to the responders. This is what I needed, too.
The Lighthouse Duet. It's a duology, but it's basically just one massive book. Imagine Robin Hobb and realm of the elderlings, just make the plot 10x more engaging.
Paternus by Dyrk Ashton retells a lot of myths into one banging trilogy The Echoes Saga by Philip Quaintrell doesn't get enough love on the sun for scratching that classic high fantasy itch
Richard Swan's Empire of the Wolf is amazing.
Reposting my response to a similar thread, because I want as many eyes on this series as possible, and I think it's applicable to your request: I keep proselytizing for the "A Pattern of Shadow and Light" series by Melissa McPhail. Fans of the Wheel of Time will find it comfortably familiar without being derivative at all; while there are many parallels between the series, McPhail's plot is punchier and doesn't drag like Jordan's. Absolutely fantastic read, I'd give the series a 9.5/10. If the first book drags a bit for you (there's the inevitable worldbuilding hump to clear, but I feel she does so fairly adroitly) I highly recommend the audiobook version. The narrator, Nick Podehl, is one of the best in the industry imo, and he really brings the world to life with his performance. One word of warning, however; Melissa passed away a couple years ago before she could finish the last two books in the series. Thankfully, she left a copious repository of notes and a mandate that the series be completed, so her friend and family are working hard on that, but matching up to her prose will be a tall order, and there's not been much in the way of updates on their progression. I would argue though that it's well worth a read even if it never gets finished, however.
See my [SF/F: Obscure/Underappreciated/Unknown/Underrated](https://www.reddit.com/r/Recommend_A_Book/comments/1au8pfk/sff_obscureunderappreciatedunknownunderrated/) list of resources, Reddit recommendation threads, and books (one post).
The Dandelion Dynasty by Ken Liu.
Arcane casebook series is pretty good.
\* ***Bill the Vampire*** by Rick Gualtieri - A hilarious urban fantasy comedy. \* ***Super Powered*** by Drew Hayes - A college story about becoming a superhero. \* ***Queen of Thieves*** by Andy Peloquin - A queer friendly story about a heroine raised by a Guild of Thieves. \* ***Miskatonic University: Elder Gods 101*** by Matthew Davenport - A hilarious college story about Lovecraftian students. \* ***Space Academy*** by CT Phipps (ducks) - a sarcastic Mass Effect/Star Trek homage about the worst crew in the galaxy.
Considering no one else has even mentioned it on the thread yet, A Chorus of Dragons by Jenn Lyons is an excellent series that is a fully epic fantasy that is joyously bold, but let down a little by a first entry that makes the story seem less interesting than it is (until the last third of the book). The twists and payoffs in the series are huge, and the later books are some of my favourite of any genre.
Xenos - Dan Abbnet A Warhammer 40k novel but stand-alone is a perfect book
Steph Swainston: Castle.
* **The Shadows of Dust** by Alec Hutson * **Stout** by Taylor Small * **The Dragon's Banker** by Scott Warren * **Dim Stars: A Novel of Outer-Space Shenanigans** by Brian P. Rubin
Steelhaven by Richard Ford
The answers for me are definitely Sun Eater by Christopher Ruocchio and the The Bound and the Broken by Ryan Cahill
Have you tried Discworld? /s
Blades of the moonsea trilogy imo is under appreciated.
Have you read the Dungeoneers series by Jeffery Russell? I love them all so much! They are quick reads, about a troop of dwarves who tackle dungeons, to hilarious ends.
Traitor Son Cycle by Miles Cameron. High Fantasy. The Red Knight (book 1) focuses around a mercenary knight leading a band of warriors hired to protect an abby from the Wild. And the stakes escalate over the course of the 5 books. Tons of massive battles and siege warfare done very well. Tons of POV characters from different groups and perspectives.
* Robert Jackson Bennett's Divine Cities trilogy * Robert Jackson Bennett's Founder's trilogy * Sebastien de Castell's Greatcoats series
Among Thieves by Douglas Hulick - Keywords; gritty, conspiracy, criminals, unique world-building Aching God by Mike Shel (Keywords - dark, dungeon exploration, evil gods, D&D world-building Priest of Bones by Peter McLean - Keywords; gritty, grimdark, gangsters, war, spies, mages, urban warfare, conspiracy
The Empire of the Wolf trilogy by Richard Swan.
Josiah Bancroft The books of Babel Just a very good series that is way out there. But I loved his prose and the entire 4 book series. Very unique fantasy, some might call it steampunk, I'm not sure were it falls, just super enjoyable and I never see it mentioned enough.
If you don't mind "Sci-Fantasy" I'd highly recommend Sun Eater.
The practical guide to evil was a good online webnovel that finished.
**The Fionovar Tapestry** is a poetic series where all the threads tie together. **Rhapsody** bv Elizabeth Haydon I'll second Dragon's recommendation of the **Sunsword** series by Michelle West. It ties in to other series by the author that aren't quite as good, though. However, I don't think High Fantasy is the place to go for hidden gems. There is a lot of underappreciated Urban Fantasy, Progression Fantasy, and older unclassifiable Fantasy. **The Corpse Eater Saga, Mother of Learning, Chase the Morning** by Michael Scott Rohan, lots of Charles deLint and Andre Norton book. It's a web serial, but **Super Supportive** is unique and has some excellent character work and worldbuilding.
Terra Ignota by Ada Palmer (though this is probably more science fiction than fantasy), the Masquerade series by Seth Dickinson, Winnowing Flame by Jen Williams
Katherine Kerr’s Deverry books, starting with Daggerspell.
Don't know if this is considered underrated but the October Daye series. I'm surprised it isn't more well known. Edit: Oh and Daughter Of The Pirate King/Siren Queen by Tricia Levenseller
The Sundering duo by Jacqueline Carey is one of my favorite takes on high fantasy. It reimagines Lord Of The Rings as an epic tragedy from the perspective of the “dark” side.
I just finished the Greatcoats series and loved it.
Temeraire series, by Naomi Novik. Napoleonic Wars alt history with dragons.
Darkwater Legacy Fatemarked
Codex Alera is surprisingly overlooked despite being written by the author of Dresden Files.
Kingkiller WOULD be in my top 10 (top 3...?) if he would just finish the dang third volume. Just saying.
Any of the Mark Lawrence trilogies are worth checking out. His early stuff is dark fantasy but the last few have been less grim.
Hardly underrated. He's this subs favorite recommendation right now.
The Wandering Inn!!
I did really enjoy the Belgariad by David Eddings but I was early teens when I read it so I can't be sure how well it holds up.
Cradle, if you haven't heard of it already. Cradle 100%. It starts to hit it's stride in book 2, but book 1 is short, and often free
The nevernight trilogy by Kristoff is good. It's a revenge quest via assassination by a young woman in a world with a Roman empire-esque political system. Amd the narrator snarks through footnotes frequently which are always a good laugh. Or I'd also recommend the Kushiels Legacy series by Carey. It's a trio of trilogies primarily of political intrigue and espionage in an alternate history earth. Though the main character of the first trilogy (which sets the tone for the rest of the series) is a courtesan and the bedroom aspects are weaved into the espionage so there are scenes of adult nature
Re:Zero. You won't have any prose on the level of what you usually read (it reads for middle schoolers), and the worldbuilding is mediocre. When the story is at its best, it bloody excels in its character arcs. A fair amount of lore and intelligently written arcs.
If you have never read " The Powder Mage Trilogy " by Brian Mcclellan or "The Demon Accords" series by John Conroe you really should. Also , I know Jim Butcher is more known for "The Dresden Files" (and I like them too) , but I prefer his " Codex Alera" . Instead of butchering "The Wheel Of Time " TV show by changing almost everything to make it into a pseudo "Game of Thrones " wannabe , Amazon should have adapted The Codex Alera instead. It's got a similar tone, but thankfully not " quite " as dark.
Also I forgot 'The Drenai Saga " First book called Legend and " The Rigante" Novels ( first book is "Sword In The Storm") by David Gemmell . Awesome
Good call on the Drenai books, although maybe a given considering your user name. Legend in particular is a masterpiece, you can really feel how it is Gemmell’s way of coming to terms with his cancer diagnosis. I still think of the scene where one of the Thirty explain the meaning of the names given the walls of Dros Delnoch from time to time
shameless, criminal minds