Are you looking for a fantasy series to read but want some assurances that it will be a good one? I may not be able to promise you'll love them, but I can tell you I loved them. As fall progresses into winter, I always love having a stack of books to read as the weather worsens. What better than to have a stack of books following one story? Here are five books that start good fantasy series. (You can click on the covers to learn more!)
The Queen's Thief series begins with The Thief by Megan Whalen Turner. This book is told by the titular thief, Gen. It's marketed as a young adult series, but it is in no way childish. The characters are full and rounded, with flaws of their own. The series itself uses a different narrator in each book, but this book is in Gen's own voice with all the problems that come with an unreliable first-person narrator.
Do you like dragons? Do you like history? What if dragons were real during the Napoleonic war? The Temraire series pulls dragons into a more modern age and establishes their place in martial history. We meet Temraire and his British human, Laurence in this first book. The author, Naomi Novik, also manages to incorporate some historical attitudes and beliefs across cultures, what it means to be feral vs. civilized, how different cultures treat the “other,” and what class systems are common as well as what is good vs. what is treasonous.
While this does not count as “new” (it was published in 1982), it is the first book in an excellent series. It combines high magic, gods, and a world ending prophecy. In many ways, it is one of the first Fantasy series to establish certain literary tropes, which makes it familiar in a cozy way.
Anne McCaffrey released this book for young adults in 1976 as part of the Harper Hall Trilogy. Some of the treatment of gender roles is dated, as they can be in McCaffery's writings, but it also has the young heroine work to break out of those roles. Menolly is a young girl trapped in a coastal hold in a society where storytellers and singers, known as Harpers, are roles for mostly men. Menolly has an aptitude for songwriting, but her father doesn't want her to get involved. When their Harper dies, she takes over briefly while they wait for a new storyteller to arrive from Harper Hall, but is then forced to hide her skill from the new Harper. When an accident seems to take her ability from her forever, Menolly discovers something altogether new and has the potential to change her society.
The first book in N.K. Jemisin's Inheritance Trilogy takes you to a world where the gods are living creatures, and enslaved to a family. Jemisin introduces color into a stereotypically white fantasy world. She doesn't remove any elements, but adds culture and history to the world. That addition becomes important in the story, as Yeine finds her way through palace intrigue balanced with her own childhood culture. It also sets her apart from the family that finally chooses to acknowledge her as well as place a target on her.
Do you have any favorites? Add them in the comments below! And if you like this article, please share. Or you can always buy us a coffee.