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Back in March, I asked the r/fantasy community for help finding exceptional reads - books in that narrow band of the fantasy spectrum combining exceptional prose with emotional depth, a deep sense of meaning, and original characters who kept or found hope and joy amid suffering.

You can find the resulting discussion here, but in the end I made nine purchases:

·      The Lions of Al-Rassan – Guy Gavriel Kay (1995)

·      The Curse of Chalion – Lois McMaster Bujold (2001)

·      The Grace of Kings – Ken Liu (2015)

·      Kings of the Wyld – Nicholas Eames (2017)

·      The Bone Ships – RJ Barker (2019)

·      Tuyo – Rachel Neumeier (2020)

·      The Spear Cuts Through Water – Simon Jimenez (2022)

·      The Saint of Bright Doors – Vajra Chandrasekera (2023)

·      Slow Gods – Claire North (2025)

My goal is to finish them all within a year. I’ll post my thoughts on each, in no particular order, always spoiler free. Do with them as you will.

You can find my Kings of the Wyld review in the list above, but in short, I thought it was great fun with a few flaws. I put it down, satisfied, but ready for something deeper.

So, I turned to The Lions of Al-Rassan, my first experience with the esteemed Guy Gavirel Kay.

I was not ready.

Within the fantasy spectrum, I’m usually a traditional swords and magic kinda guy. Historical fiction was not my bag, baby – and this book could be described as such. It is a fantastical skin drawn over the Reconquista period of fifteenth century Spain, the places and religions changed but the geography and sentiments much the same: the Muslims became the Asharites, the Christians the Jaddites, and the Jews the Kindath. Al-Andalus became Al-Rassan. In truth, this book only qualifies as “fantasy” because of this invented skin (and because one side character has a kind of farsight skill that lets him keep track of his father across great distances).

All that to say, one could be forgiven for expecting something dry and overly political, or so abstract as to lose sight of the characters crawling through the context.

Instead, I found a story as rich and delicately woven as Andalusian silk.

There could and should be an entire novel around each of the three central figures (one from each of the sects described above). I have rarely found such depth and nuance in a single character, let alone all three. From Jehane’s alchemy of clever self-assurance and honest vulnerability, to Rodrigo’s martial prowess edged with genuine love for his family and his men, to Ammar’s unmatched political genius that shelters a poet’s soul – these were characters that lived fuller lives in the span of 504 shared pages than some protagonists achieve in sweeping series. They felt so beautifully alive.

There were heroes, certainly, but they came in many sizes and their victories ranged from grandiose to achingly small. There was no great villain; rather, the antagonist was a looming, inevitable future, wherein the forces aligned behind each member of the trio would clash and shatter their delicate harmony.

Yet for all that sense of inevitability, Mr. Kay has a wonderful talent for surprise. On at least three separate occasions, as I strolled along convinced of what lay ahead, I found my expectations blindfolded, spun about, then ushered down a side alley at knifepoint to a hidden courtyard, as surprising as it was beautiful. I can describe the experience as watching a rose bloom: what starts as a simple shape opens and expands in many-colored layers – each distinct – to finish as a work of unified art.

This felt like a book tailor-made to enthrall me, specifically. I was skeptical for the first fifteen pages (which fit my expectation of a dusty retelling of history, laden with exposition) but from the first movement of the plot, I walked through a different place in a different time. Somewhere exotic without falling into stereotype, lush without becoming gaudy. The prose was excellent, the pacing spot on, and filled with such heart as to beat in time with the reader’s.

Most of all, there was a practicality to Mr. Kay’s story that gave its luxury a sharp edge, reminding the characters and the reader that life is fleeting, and to be enjoyed even knowing that all will come to an end. The cup will empty, the music fade, but while they last the night is ours to relish.

Damn, I loved this book.

I recommend The Lions of Al-Rassan to everyone, on the single condition they have the patience to appreciate the journey.

A few months ago, I asked r/fantasy for help. (Read the original post here)

I buy books all the time – they’re the only things on which I regularly spend money – but it had been years since I’d read a story in the genre that truly moved me. I was tired of the “burn it down” trope, the callous protagonists fighting the system or some other form of established power. Yes, yes...As The Who famously sang, “meet the new boss, same as the old boss.”

I wanted books in that narrow band of the fantasy spectrum combining exceptional prose with emotional depth, a deep sense of meaning, and original characters who kept or found hope and joy amid suffering. After all, isn’t that our own struggle? Marveling at the candles we carry, at their light and warmth, despite the buffeting wind?

Out of the resulting discussion, I made nine purchases:

·      The Lions of Al-Rassan – Guy Gavriel Kay (1995)

·      The Curse of Chalion – Lois McMaster Bujold (2001)

·      The Grace of Kings – Ken Liu (2015)

·      Kings of the Wyld – Nicholas Eames (2017)

·      The Bone Ships – RJ Barker (2019)

·      Tuyo – Rachel Neumeier (2020)

·      The Spear Cuts Through Water – Simon Jimenez (2022)

·      The Saint of Bright Doors – Vajra Chandrasekera (2023)

·      Slow Gods – Claire North (2025)

My goal is to finish them all within a year. Will they live up to the hype? Well, they have so far – to date, I've finished Kings of the Wyld and Lions of Al-Rassan (yes, I listed them in publishing order above, but as it’s my list and my time, I’ll read them in any order I like). I’ll share my thoughts on each here, spoiler free. Do with them as you will.

I read Eames’ delightful debut first because I needed a pick-me-up, and it delivered. I’d been under the misapprehension this was a grimdark novel – more in the Abercrombie or Buehlman vein, given the cover’s dour figures in grayscale under a slashy red title – but you r/fantasy folks set me straight. It’s adventure fantasy as told by a classic rock enthusiast.

From the start, I could tell Mr. Eames had a great time writing this. Clay Cooper and his band Saga are as charming as they are gritty, their hangers-on as diverse as they are nuanced. Moog was especially colorful; more than once I imagined the eccentric wizard scrambling off the page in pursuit of some rare beasty, looking up again to find himself lost in a corner of Terry Pratchett’s Discworld. The whimsy was delightful, the action punchy, the plot and framing clever and original. Saga’s members felt balanced, connected, and real.

It wasn’t all shield-bashing and prophylactic jokes either, though there was plenty of both. I expected fantasy fun, but what gave the book that special quality were the lines that carried genuine depth. As a father, I recognized the anguish Gabriel carried into the Heartwyld, the desperate certainty that drove every step, and the uncertainty that any of those steps would help in the end. There were subtle touches of humanity among all the many monsters, weapons, and flare.

I wanted to know what happened next. More, I cared what happened next.

Now, the book was not without its drawbacks. The end felt rushed, as if some editor had swapped the explosive finale for its outline instead. I wanted the same care given to the conclusion of Clay’s story as was given to his crossing the forest to reach it. What’s another few thousand words at that point? The fireworks were bright and colorful, Mr. Eames, but give them time to dazzle.

Also, the villain felt half-baked. He read like a child who’d found the keys to a Gundam mech – all the weapons and flashy looks, but lacking the skill to wield them properly. That might have been intentional, given how the antagonist’s story concludes (no spoilers, but there is a clear implication of greater perils to come). I never felt he was dangerous. All smoke no fire. Maybe it was the rabbit ears.

I’m not one for ranking systems. I will heartfully recommend Kings of the Wyld to anyone missing the sheer fun of classic fantasy adventure, absent the grim defeatism so prevalent in modern tales. That said, I did not rush out to buy the sequel, Bloody Rose. I might have, if the ending fully satisfied. Instead, I sat back from the table with my belly full but without craving another course.

I’ll put up my thoughts on Al-Rassan soon (loved it), and Curse of Chalion after that (Enjoying it so far, but too soon to tell).

Good morning all!

I find myself adrift in the fantasy landscape.

I've tried several major names/titles in recent years (NK Jemisin, RF Kuang, Andrea Stewart, Mark Lawrence, John Gwynne, etc) but none of them have resonated. Also, I'm not a romantasy fan; I'm a classic closed-door type. Low spice.

One exception has been Christopher Buehlman (loved Blacktongue and Between Two Fires, meh on Daughter's War). I think Buehlman's dialogue and dark sense of humor are phenomenal, though in small doses - I prefer uplifting fiction, hopeful narratives that emphasize joy despite suffering.

I've heard that modern publishing skews away from epic fantasy these days, so I'm not at all opposed to (exceptional quality) self-published.

I love - even require - excellent prose, emotional depth, a deep sense of meaning, and original characters that drive the story. I don't need the super-fast paced, twist-heavy stuff, or even clever magic systems. Give me the restrained magic I don't fully understand; less Sanderson, more Tolkein or Le Guin.

Speaking of which, my favorites are:

• Le Guin's EarthSea, in all its forms
• TH White's Once and Future King
• Beagle's The Last Unicorn
• Juster's The Phantom Tollbooth
• Lynch’s Lies of Locke Lamora
• Carol Berg's Rai Kirah series
• Robin Hobb's Farseer Trilogy
• Tad William's Memory, Sorrow, and Thorn (current but getting tired of the follow-up "trilogy" Last King of Osten Ard)
• Rothfuss's Kingkiller Chronicle (though Kvothe could use some flaws).
• Abercrombie's First Law Trilogy

Outside of strictly fantasy, my favorites are:

• All the King's Men
• Lonesome Dove
• Shogun
• Hyperion (omg)
• Islands in the Stream
• All The Pretty Horses
• Kon Tiki
• The Power of One

The list goes on, but you get the gist. In short, I'm wildly diverse yet incredibly picky. Am I alone in the great fantasy fandom universe?

Help me readers of Reddit! You're my only hope!

Edit: Y'all, this is great. Thank you for blowing up my TBR list. I'm going through and reading/responding to each, it's well worth it, just taking some time!

Edit Edit: Wow. Okay, I did my best - I have a family, they need me too. I'll be back here to get the rest of yous, but I bought nine books today. I have a problem. A compulsion. Thank you for the excellent recs, and the obvious love for quality in the genre!