My son turns 23 in a few weeks. I asked for some ideas and this is one: "fantasy books, which I know is a very vague request. If it helps: I like immersive settings (that aren’t too depressing) and good, solid writing (especially regarding characters). I’ve heard good things about the Wheel of Time, but I’d also be happy to be surprised. "
Anything that fits the bill? Authors he has enjoyed are Naomi Novik, Terry Pratchett, C.S. Lewis, Tolkien, George R. R. Martin, C.S. Forester, Ursula LeGuin, to name a few. Anyone else he should discover?
Rothfuss
Gaimen
I really enjoyed Harkness but I’m not sure a 23 yr old guy would agree.
Cornwell is more historical fiction but my fantasy junkie DH loves them.
replacing worn out favorites w/ collector editions?
Or, a B&N/Amazon giftcard so he can choose his own but make a little gift basket of reading accessories… a handmade leather bookmark, a mug w/ fave tea or coffee, some cozy socks or blankie, some good nibbles. I find it hard to buy books for my 19yr old S. He’s been curating his personal library & I can’t keep up w/ what he has and wants. He’d be thrilled w/ something like this.
Son seconds Brandon Sanderson - particularly Mistborn trilogy (could be depressing), and Stormlight Archives. Said NO to Wheel of Time. Neil Gaiman also good.
Came on here to say Brandon Sanderson and see others beat me to it! The Stormlight Archives, are amazing, though the series is still unfinished, with the next book coming out in about a year. The first book in that series is The Way of Kings. Got hooked through my young adult son. My son recommended reading Warbreaker (technically not in the series) after Way of Kings and before Words of Radiance and I’m glad I did, as there is some specific overlap.
I wouldn’t recommend Rothfuss, not because his books aren’t wonderful, but because he seems to have stalled out, having written the first two books of what is supposed to be a trilogy. We’ve been waiting for eight years. Supposedly it is coming out this summer, if it does I’m dropping everything to read it.
My younger son’s favorite author is Brandon Sanderson. He writes long heroic fantasy with very complicated magic systems. I find him a little tiresome, but interesting. My favorite book of his is a stand alone called Warbreaker which features a snarky sword.
If he would like his fantasy in a sci fi universe (healing, telepathy) a fair amount of romance and comedy, I like the Liaden books by Sharon Lee and Steve Miller. Read in publication order.
Has he read Patricia McKillip? I loved her first book The Riddlemaster of Hed which feels a bit like the later Earthsea and also more recent Bards of Bone Plain. But every fantasy she has written is unique and interesting.
I am extremely fond of Robin McKinley’s The Blue Sword and The Hero and the Crown, mostly because they remind me of my East African childhood landscape. They are on the YA end of things. I don’t like vampire books, but her Sunshine is wonderful.
McKinley’s husband has also written some fine fantasies and other books that are great, but hard to catagorize. I really liked The Ropemaker
DH is an avid fantasy reader and loves the Wheel of Time series. He rereads it annually. Fun fact: Brandon Sanderson partially wrote the last book of the series after Robert Jordan’s untimely passing.
Currently, DH is enjoying the Malazan Book of the Fallen series by Steven Erikson.
How could I forget the wonderful Diana Wynne Jones? I haven’t read a lot of Robin Hobbs yet, but I like what I’ve read so far. Megan Whalen Turner’s series that begins with The Thief is fun too. And while I like her sci-fi books most, Lois McMaster’s Bujold’s series of books set in The World of the Five Gods are fabulous. They are each stand alones and there is also a series of novellas that were recently bundled into a single volume as well.
Jim Butcher deserves a mention. His Dresden Files series is especially good, but Codex Alera is a decent series too, and the first Cinder Spires book is very promising (if he ever gets back to that series…).
Brent Weeks’ Lightbringer series is strongly reminiscent of Sanderson’s books, especially with the complex magic system, but he’s not as good a writer. Still, they’re decent reads.
The first eight Shannara books by Terry Brooks are pretty popular albeit divisive among fantasy fans. He’s often derided for borrowing heavily from LOTR for The Sword of Shannara, but his later works are noticeably more creative. His Landover series is better, IMO.
In the vein of YA fantasy like Diana Wynne Jones and Robin McKinley, the Abhorsen trilogy by Garth Nix and the Dark is Rising series by Susan Cooper are excellent.
^Big thumbs up on Frank Herbert. Another classic in the SciFi fantasy genre would be Asimov’s Foundation series. Another from the Wayback Machine is Lord of Light by Roger Zelazny.