Fantasy Books We NEED Now

Overlord’s Top 4 Fantasy Books We Need Right Now

2012/2013 seems a long way off, but I’m looking to it already…dreaming…wishing it would hurry the heck up!!! Some of the genres most exciting authors are busy writing their stories and it’s an exciting time for a genre that seems to have evolved nicely over the last few years. I’m all about action, magic, characters, and story when it comes to fantasy. So with this in mind I’ve been putting together a list of my top 4 titles that I am waiting for above all others!

Lightbringer Series – Book 2 by Brent Weeks

Black Prism (Book 1) was weaker than I expected. I will admit that. And Brent Weeks even warned us that we would need to expect a fair bit of worldbuilding before he began. Night Angel was set in a fairly familiar world and it allowed Weeks to just jump into an epic, epic story. Black Prism was set in a fairly unique world and the magic system/hierarchy was really…complicated. However by the end of the book I had it down and has enjoyed the last 1/3 of it immensely. With Night Angel and Black Prism ending so well, I know that this series has potential to evolve. The next book could really, really be epic if done right.

Also note that Brent Weeks is writing a Durzo prequel. Now that’s cool!

Demon Cycle – Book 3 by Peter V. Brett

The Painted Man/The Warded Man (Book 1) was probably one of the best books I’ve ever read…fantasy, sci-fi, general fiction all included. There is something special about the simplicity of that book and the pacing and the characters. It literally blew me away. Book 2 wasn’t as much of a page-turner (I still finished it within a week), but it completely blew open the story and will allow it to grow hugely. The future of the series is looking exciting and I think because this series IS NOT a trilogy, Peter V. Brett still has a lot for us to learn.

Kingkiller Chronicles – Book 3 by Patrick Rothfuss

Obvious one I guess, similar situation to Demon Cycle Book 2. Book 1 was amazing, Book 2 was great too, but not the page-turner a lot of people expected. Book 3 (if it is indeed the final one in the series) is going to HAVE to be a complete mashing together of action, discovery and revelation if Rothfuss truly wishes to end the series in one book. He has said though that he is going to write more books in the same world, so will be interesting to see how he leave it open.

Stormlight Archive – Book 2 by Brandon Sanderson

The Way of Kings was probably the “Fantasy Book of 2010” for most fans of the genre. No one was expecting Sanderson to unveil something so masterful. Yes Mistborn was amazing, but there was a hint of YA to it. Yes Sanderson took over Wheel of Time masterfully, but could he really make an epic that captured adult readers to the extent of books like A Game of Thrones or indeed The Wheel of Time?

He proved to us all the answer was yes with this novel. Not only was it of epic size – almost unmatched in modern fantasy – it was certainly aimed at adult readers. It contained a lot of themes Sanderson seemed to avoid in Mistborn and as a writer it showed a true evolution. It will be interesting to see how the series develops now. Will the books continue with their immense size? Can Sanderson continue to churn out such huge and gripping stories at that incredible rate? I expect so and am excited to see him continue doing so!

And if you can’t wait until 2012:

Mistborn – Book 4/New Series by Brandon Sanderson

“Kelsier, Vin, Elend, Sazed, Spook, and the rest are now part of history—or religion. Yet even as science and technology are reaching new heights, the old magics of Allomancy and Feruchemy continue to play a role in this reborn world.”

The new Mistborn series sounds interesting and I’m looking forward to seeing how the book develops the post-God King world that we grew to love in the original trilogy. Apparently there are guns too. Cool!

These are my top choices. I would like to invite you all over to the forums to suggest your most looked forward to titles.

And of course feel free to leave comments too!

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