In our latest blog post, Rose from East Grinstead Library shares her top fantasy picks with us. Can you think of anything she’s missed? Drop us a comment below, get in touch via our Facebook or Twitter pages, or send us your own review!
I got into books at quite a young age and was predominantly focused on fantasy, so much so that I was in danger of losing sight of all the other wonderful genres out there until my parents encouraged me to branch out and read some other things! I got stuck into the classics and then into romantic fiction and haven’t looked back! However, being an avid fantasy fan, I thought I’d make a list of my All Time Favourite Fantasy Reads to share with those who are new to the genre, who are long time fans or those who just want something a little different to add to their (probably) never-ending book list!
The Books of Earthsea by Ursula K Le Guin, a sweeping epic set of stories (I’ve got the Waterstones edition that has coloured illustrations, an essay at the front and several short stories at the end) set within the land of Earthsea and follows the adventures of Sparrowhawk, a wizard from when he is a boy up until when is a very old man and is a book that takes a lot of time to complete but I promise it is well worth it.
Jonathan Strange and Mr Norrell by Susanna Clark is another big read, at just other 1000 pages, but it packs a lot in, following the story of two very different magicians in 1900’s England during the Napoleonic Wars with one section devoted to each magician and the last section showing what happens when the two finally meet. It’s filled with not just historical figures, but also little (and sometimes rather large) footnotes about the various magicians or historical texts that are referenced throughout the book. Again, another long read, but if you’re into magic, magicians and mischief then this is one not to be missed!
Barefoot On The Wind by Zoe Marriott is a truly lovely retelling of Beauty and The Beast set within ancient Japan that follows Hana’s quest to reclaim the villagers that have been lost by the beast prowling the forest at night and is a story not just about accepting people for what they are on the inside rather than what they look like on the outside, but is also a story about learning to accept yourself. Honestly, if you haven’t read any of Zoe Marriott’s books I would thoroughly recommend them as her writing is very immersive and compelling — you won’t stop reading until it’s finished.
Eyes Like Stars Trilogy by Lisa Mantchev is something a little unusual, as not many people seem to know about them as they aren’t widely stocked in local bookstores, which I think is a real shame because I happened across these by complete accident and absolutely fell in love with them. It’s also a bit of an unusual premise, as it’s set in a theatre where all the plays in the world are contained within a single Book (capital letter was on purpose!) and all interact with each other on the stage. It centres around an orphan named Beatrice Shakespeare Smith trying to find her place within the theatre as well as trying to find out more about her parents, whilst being hampered by lovable rogue Ariel (the sprite from The Tempest and my favourite character!) and usually being stalled in her progress by four food obsessed fairies from A Midsummer Night’s Dream. It combines Shakespeare with the glitz and glamour of the theatre and the hilarity of seeing characters like Macbeth interact with Hamlet and The Lost Boys from Peter Pan and is definitely staying on my bookshelf for a long time to come.
Throne Of Glass Series by Sarah J Maas are completely unputdownable. They centre on an assassin called Celena Sardothien who has been imprisoned and has to try and fight for freedom in a local tournament against other prisoners while also trying to resist the charms of the Prince, discover who is murdering all the other contestants and slowly finds herself becoming involved in the fight to restore magic to a Kingdom that doesn’t have magic. It’s pretty hard to explain just this book without giving away hints to the sequels, so let’s just say that it isn’t just your typical romantic, adventure fantasy but quickly turns into a sprawling epic series that leaves you with more than a few gut wrenching moments, cliff hangers and occasions where you have to put the book down to stop from being infuriated because of what’s just happened! Suffice it to say, I was pleasantly surprised by how in depth this series is, with each book unravelling deeper into both the main characters life and the situation of the various kingdoms until it all culminates in the last one.
The Bear and The Nightingale Trilogy by Katherine Arden is a series I’ve read during lockdown all about a girl called Vasya, who is blessed with the ability to see the creatures that protect her home, her horses and her village; however this gift comes at a cost, as she is the only one who can see them and her villagers quickly become to suspect her as a witch when a priest arrives in town and begins to demolish their faith in the Cheyrti (the name for the creatures) and turn them against her while she is also being pursued by a vengeful Frost Demon looking to enact revenge on his twin brother. It’s set within a medieval Russia and completely bewitches you with the descriptions of snow covered forests, talking horses and demons. A beautiful trilogy that moved me to tears more than a few times, but don’t be put off, it all pays off in the end!
Eragon by Christopher Paolini are perfect comfort reads that I can return to again and again without getting bored. I first read them as a teenager, immediately becoming captivated by the story of farm boy Eragon, who learns that his destiny is to become one of the fabled Dragon Riders once his path crosses with a rare dragon egg and it hatches, forcing him to leave his village and travel the length and breadth of his world in an effort to stop the evil King from enslaving/destroying the remaining places that haven’t bowed to his rule. This four part series is frankly one of the best in the fantasy genre, mixing themes such as love, war, hate, self-acceptance, confidence and multiplying them tenfold as it goes on. Another thing that this series does perfectly is the bond between Eragon and his dragon, encapsulating the angst Eragon feels at being one of the only Riders left, the sadness his dragon feels at being the only female dragon in existence and you really get a sense as time goes on that they are slowly learning to accept the bond and eventually, learning to become something of a family despite their rocky start. It really is a series not to be missed.
The Rest Of Us Just Live Here By Patrick Ness is bizarre but wonderful! It flips the notion of the Chosen One protagonist completely on its head, focusing on Mikey, your typical high school teenager who just wants to graduate; however there’s a catch, he goes to school with someone that IS the chosen one, who seems to be forever attempting to stop vampire attacks, zombie hordes or stopping a bomb from blowing up their high school. It’s a marvellously quirky novel that I wasn’t sure if I would like, but was surprised by how funny it was, how likeable the characters were (my personal favourite was Jared, a descendant of a Cat God) and how weird —yet brilliant– the plot is!
Finding Sky Series by Joss Stirling are is a set of 6 books that centres on a a group of people called Savants, which is basically people that have extra abilities (such as mind reading, seeing someone’s emotions as a colour, controlling fire, the ability to see an objects past by touching it) and their search for their soulmate, the other half that completes their power and makes them stronger. In the first book you are introduced to the Bendict family, which consists of seven boys, all of whom are Savants with different powers that are all searching for their other half, are recurring characters in each book and usually fighting off someone attempting to expose the Savant community. Brilliant comfort reads, well written and set in lovely places, the first is in Colorado, the second London, the third Venice and I can’t remember the rest!
The Night Circus by Erin Morgenstern is a captivating read from beginning to end with detail brimming through every page. It centres around a strange circus that only appears at night, staying in one place for a short period of time before it disappears off to the next location, with no one knowing where it will be until it just turns up, all the tents up and ready for punters. The nice thing about this book is it involves you in the story, so the first page is written as if you are standing looking at the gates right before the circus opens and these passages are interspersed within the main storyline of two magicians locked in a deadly game over the fate of the circus itself. I simply haven’t read anything else like it, before or since.
The Testament Of Loki by Joanne M. Harris is focused on Norse Mythology but the narrative is by the trickster God Loki. Her writing style as Loki is quite frankly brilliant, mixing humour and sadness at the same time as she chronicles the time when Loki was brought into Asgard by Odin right up until Ragnorok, the fall that Loki sets in motion after realising that the other gods will never accept him. It’s a hilarious book, one which if like me you’re a Marvel film fan and have watched the Avengers, Thor films etc, will no doubt enjoy getting an insight in the mythologies that helped bring these films to life.
And my last one is Wolf by Wolf duology by Ryan Graudin, which is a pretty hard hitting tale about a young Jewish girl called Yael who is sent to the camps during the Second World War —a War which German has won– and is selected as a test subject by the Germans for a drug trial, one that gives her the ability to change the way she looks: so she can change her body shape, eye colour, hair colour etc; and eventually, once she has escaped the camps, she falls in with a resistance group, who discover her talent, help her to learn multiple languages so she can easily infiltrate the upper classes of German society and get close enough to Hitler to assassinate him. It’s a thought provoking, sometimes challenging read but the author handles the subject brilliantly and it is definitely one of those reads that stays with you long after the final page.
What are your favourite fantasy reads? Let us know in the comments below!
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Mid Sussex Reading Challenge 2020 