Top 5 Fantasy Series Y has read [books]

I have not read any George R. R. Martin (yet), but N8’s entry on the most recent Geek Out prompted me to think about all of the fantasy series that I have read. So here’s my entry of the top 5 fantasy series that I have read [not named Lord of the Rings (or Harry Potter, which were fluff but enjoyable)].

First, a couple of caveats - I tried to limit this to medieval/sword/magic type fantasy. There are many science fiction series that may have made the cut, including Tripods, but that can be another post, for someone else who has read more of those types than I have.

5) The Chronicles of Narnia - I may get a lot of flack for this one. While I agree with LD’s impromptu rewording of the Caspian trailer (”you may find Narnia to be a gayer Christian allegory than you remember”), these books, as books, are GOOD. Yes the main characters can be boring, but the world is quite immersive, and as a kid, you tend to forgive ridiculous plot devices. I maintain that if you don’t mind the COMPLETELY obvious Christian overtones, these books are good.

4) Redwall - I have not read these books in a long time, so I’m not sure how they would hold up. Again, given my long journey away from religion, I’m not sure how the religious symbolism would hold up to my current viewpoint, but I really enjoyed these books when I was younger. Anthropomorphized animals are always fun, and there were a lot of hidden secrets and problem solving that was engaging and enjoyable. I don’t remember how far along I got in the series, but I probably read the first three books an uncountable number of times. Worth the time when you were younger.

3) The Elenium/The Tamuli - While this is David Eddings’ second-best series (and I combine the two trilogies into 1 entry, because they are really one 6-book series), it stands on its own as an amazing world and story. I found this series in the post-adolescent time of my life, and having the main character be in his thirties instead of a ~14 year old boy was something that was appealing. The first trilogy is much better than the second, I think. Overall the series has a more grown up feel than other comparable novels. Sure the plot/characters are fairly stereotypical and predictable, but Eddings throws enough snarkiness and sarcasm in the books to make the tone different than what I am used to, and it delivers in the end. Also, I think there are a lot of demons involved in these books.

2) The Wheel of Time - If you scroll down to the bottom of the wikipedia page, you’ll find a lot of sites dedicated to the Wheel of Time, and I don’t have a lot more to contribute. But I’ll try. This series so far has been good-to-excellent. If you haven’t read them, be prepared for deep, full, incredible characters, and one of the most complex and intricate plots in a series I’ve ever seen, fantasy or not. However, these positive qualities also eventually overwhelm the narrative. There is so much going on, and so many characters, that eventually the books sag under the inability to do more than check in on these characters. The plot, in ~book #6 and on, slows down incredibly because when you have at least 9 or so characters important to the story that are all followed (and on both sides of the traditional good/evil debate), it takes hundreds and hundreds of pages to advance the plot in a small way. With all that said, it’s a great series. It is extremely unfortunate that Robert Jordan passed away, and I hope that the new writer can deliver an ending worthy of the series.

1) The Belgariad/The Malloreon - (again, combining two Eddings series together because they are sequels)I think N8 will back me up, that this is the best fantasy series I have ever read (not called Lord of the Rings). It adopts all the tropes and cliches of a standard adolescent fantasy story (young boy, orphan, living with relatives, has a normal life. Something extraordinary happens, he flees, begins journey, discovers his true calling, saves world) and executes them perfectly. While all of the boy’s companions are complete and total stereotypes (old wizard, big huge barbarian brawler, chivalrous knight, horse rider/archer guy, etc.), they are full characters, and you become interested in them. The Belgariad is a little better than the Malloreon, but they are both awesome, and I have reread them periodically since I first discovered them.

That’s it. Wait for a sister post, “Top 5 Fantasy series Y wants to read”.