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Hey guys,


I’m trying to decide a series to start... so I will give you guys some options and ask you if you could rank them based on your experience... please only add those you have read to your list (some are high fantasy, others ya fantasy):

Mistborn, The name of the wind, Ember in tue Ashes, Malazan, his dark materials, throne of glass, wheel of time, six of crows, the way of kings, dark tower, the blade itself, earthsea, assassin’s apprentice, the black prism, gentleman bastards, daughter of smoke and bones, theft of swords, finnikin of the rock, Dresden files, black company, prince of thorns, raven’s cycle ...



Thank you guys :)

Read the first book of each and then decide.

I agree with Brendan - everyone likes something different; try a few of the first books and see what you like, then go with it.

I've only read these:
- His Dark Materials
- Earthsea
- Dresden
- Gentleman Bastards (first book only)
- Dark Tower (first book only)

Earthsea is a classic but I found I liked the first 2-3 books more than the rest of the series. It's a good place to start if you're looking to fill in your fantasy basics. One of those series a fantasy fan "should" read kind of thing.

His Dark Materials is a shorter easy read being a YA trilogy, unlike say Malazan or Wheel of Time which are massive series with each book in the series being massive. So if you want to get through several of the series and not be stuck a full year on just one, might be a better place to start.

The Dresden series is pretty long, but each book is a fast read. Highly recommended but I think if I tried to read one book after another I'd probably get a bit tired of it, there is a certain amount of repetition in this episodic urban fantasies and are best read with some gaps between books. Also the series isn't finished yet so when you get to the end, you're not really at the end :) Maybe you want to start and finish the series of choice?

Gentleman Bastards also isn't finished, and people have had different reactions to the first book. It is a bit more boring to start with but the second half really picks up. I've only read the first book but it wraps up nicely as a standalone too if you want to read it, then move on to another series and later come back.

Dark Tower I can't rate, I only read the first book and was a bit disappointed in the lack of content and world building but I've been told it should just be considered a long introduction and the rest of the series really picks up.

I really enjoyed the first four though, hard to rank because high fantasy (Earthsea) is different from urban fantasy (Dresden) and His Dark Materials is more of an alternate world to ours (low fantasy?). It's a bit like asking me if I prefer Apples or Cats, they don't compare easily even if they all are fantasy.

Maybe if Mistborn wins the group read nomination that will solve your problem and you can just go along with the group :) I believe Mistborn comes before Way of Kings so probably Kings should be pushed down your list.

Our rankings are kind of pointless since we aren't you. Still this thread will indeed have lots of posts with (yes, pointless) rankings of the series you mentioned. Your own affinity to a series will completely depend on what YOU are interested in within the realm of fantasy as well as the actual writing style of the author/s. We aren't you. Brendan and Rosemary are definitely giving fantastic advice here - sample anything of interest. You will know if it is your "thing" relatively quickly! :) What I like (and everybody else here favors) doesn't really matter....

Andrea wrote: "Earthsea is a classic but I found I liked the first 2-3 books more than the rest of the series...."

I actually felt the opposite, that each of the books in the Earthsea series was better than its predecessor. When people ask about "strong female characters", I was think of Tehanu, not because Tenar can beat anyone up, but precisely because she can't, yet perseveres in her own little farmhouse. And The Other Wind delivers an emotionally impactful conclusion to the later series.

I would avoid at all cost : Throne of glass - the series that represents all the bad things in YA and the so-called "strong female character"

I would prioritize: The blade itself, Assassin’s apprentice, Gentleman bastards.

You should list some of your favorites to have suggestions relevant to your own taste.
- I would definitely read The blade itself if you don't mind dark stuff
- I'm currently reading Mistborn (I'm halfway in the 2nd book) but can already recommend it as well
- Gentleman bastard: I've only read the 1st book. It's an ok, light and fun read.

My ranking would be: Assassin's Apprentice (series name is actually Realm of the Elderlings btw), Way of Kings (series name is the Stormlight Archive), Name of the Wind (Kingkiller Chronicles), Gentleman Bastards, Dresden Files, Mistborn, His Dark Materials, The Blade Itself (The First Law Trilogy), Finnikin of the Rock (Lumatere)

Damn that was tough to rank. The first 6 are my favourite series of all time READ THEM, READ THEM NOW.

Vodkaquiet wrote: "Hey guys,

I’m trying to decide a series to start... so I will give you guys some options and ask you if you could rank them based on your experience... please only add those you have read to you..."

Name of the Wind is excellent, but the series is STILL not finished. So you should go in knowing that you might be waiting years for the next book.

The First Law Trilogy is great but very dark. If you like a little less darkness, you can try Abercrombie's Shattered Sea books. There supposedly YA but still dark and good reads--also shorter.

I read The Black Prism and wasn't blown away, but my 20 year old son adored it and The Lightbringer series is his favorite.

Like the others said, it depends on what you like. Just to add to your list, might I suggest Jim Butcher's Codex Alera books and Miles Cameron's Traitor Son cycle.

Well, everyone is different, so rankings may not be particularly useful for you. I've tried to describe what I thought about each series and how they differ from each other.

The Name of the Wind (Kingkiller series) - is one of my all-time favourites, I love the way it's written, it's a bit slower paced but had enough intrigue for me, and it's essentially a feel-good book. It's pure heroic fantasy.

Mistborn - love it, again, one of my all time favourites. Brandon Sanderson is a truly excellent story-teller. It's got twists that I just did not see coming. Again, I'd be shelving this in heroic fantasy, and some damn fine heros they are too.

The Black Prism (Lightbringer series) - I enjoyed this series, I've never barracked for so many characters at cross-purposes though. I even quite like the 'bad guys'. Definitely a complex epic fantasy, it's not a completed series yet (it was meant to be a trilogy but we're currently waiting for book 5).

Wheel of Time - I'm currently re-reading the whole series again, I do enjoy it but I do NOT recommend you start with this series. It's huge, it's complicated, it requires a high level of dedication and determination to read (especially in the middle section of the series).

Assassin’s Apprentice - I think this is Robin Hobb's best series. This is a straight-forward, humble beginnings to hero book. It has some great characters and it's a feel-good book.

Earthsea - is good, if you like Lord of the Rings, you'll probably like this. I say that because the style of writing feels a bit older to me. I wasn't huge on this series, I agree with Andrea that books 2-3 were the best.

His Dark Materials - definitely a bit more YA, but not bad. I read this quite a long time ago and I can't really remember it, so clearly I didn't find it a particular outstanding book.

The Way of Kings - sometimes I think I'm the only person out there that doesn't like this series, I have tried starting it so many times. I love almost all of Brandon Sanderson's other works but not this one. Too long winded and complex. I have started it about 4 times because I think I should like it but I just can't get into it.

You seem to have a lot of high/epic/heroic fantasy that you're trying to chose from - based on the options you've put forward, you might like to try Mistborn or Assassin's Apprentice first. They are both trilogies (I'd avoid the big multi-book series unless you're pretty sure you'll like it. Although if you're happy to read a book and not finish a series if you don't like it, then by all means try a book or two out) and they are both excellent stories, with good characters. And they're very popular amongst readers. Assassin's apprentice is a classic for a reason and I'm sure Mistborn will be a classic!
Hope this helps.

Just out of curiosity - how did you narrow it down to that list?
My suggestion is to set aside all series that aren’t yet finished (some excellent ones in there though for you to look forward to), and read the first book of the rest. I’ve gotten very frustrated over the years by starting a series without realising it wasn’t finished. Still have some on the go that I started in the 90’s...

Andy wrote: "Just out of curiosity - how did you narrow it down to that list?
My suggestion is to set aside all series that aren’t yet finished (some excellent ones in there though for you to look forward to),..."

Good advice, Andy! :)

Andy wrote: "Just out of curiosity - how did you narrow it down to that list?
My suggestion is to set aside all series that aren’t yet finished (some excellent ones in there though for you to look forward to),..."

I definitely second that suggestion since you did list some series that are complete. No fun reading through a series only to have to wait 5 years to keep going. Even Dresden was reliable with one a year but then there haven't been any for about 3 now.

BTW Six of Crows takes place in the world of the Grishka series, I don't know if it's better to read the series in order (or maybe you already read the first one). I always try to read books from the same world in publish order, even if the series are more or less standalone, since you could get crossover characters, or you find out something in the second one that you're not supposed to know yet in the first :) Often the purpose of the second is to fill in holes in the first so you might appreciate it more knowing what hole was being filled.

I have enjoyed - Mistborn, the Name of the Wind, The Blade itself & Dresden.

Ember in the Ashes - read the 1st book, the main female character is the standard annoying YA female lead, However the others were much more interesting.

In the 1s Dark Materials book I found Lyra's action very plot driven, rather than developing her character.

Wheel of Time - Jordan is very interested in his world building. So much so that he speeds a lot of time describing Everything, leaving the plot very slow to move forward.

Earthsea - the 1st book didn't do much for me.