Young Writers Society

Fantasy is a huge genre, well loved by many. Looking through many of the novels on YWS it seems that fantasy is something that people love to read as well as write.

So on that note, what are some of your favourite books or authors for fantasy? Tell us why too, is it their world building skills that drew you in? The realistic characters? Or maybe the intensity of the plot?

Share with us your favourites!

I love amanda hocking especially the watersong series. I like how the books explain how the sirens came to be, because a lot of other books I've read didn't do that. Fantasy is by far my favorite genre to read.

I've always read Jessica Day George's fantasy books ( even though they're a bit young for me ). Jessica's character interaction is always fun, and she just manages to slip a little bit of everything into her stories. I guess I just like how easy her books are to read.

Since we're on the topic of fantasy... I love fantasy. I've noticed though, that quite a few people don't really get what is classified as fantasy. I find that some people think it's limited to dragons, wizards, and everything to do with knights and castles.

Of course, fantasy is a much wider genre. Some, like myself, would even argue that it is one of the widest, most flexible genres out there. Honestly, fantasy is almost like the works that don't fit into any of the other genres... a piece of writing listed as fantasy doesn't always match the other pieces in the genre, they can be totally different.

I love fantasy for the freedom.

Fantasy. How I adore Fantasy. Fantasy is a well-loved genre and I must admit, I'm more of a high-fantasy and classical fantasy fan then the modern YA ones. Probably because everything is so much better in the older ones, don't get me wrong. But YA authors are targeted for the Young Adult Age Group, and far too many contains the general conventions and archetypes of this marketing area. I didn't say genre, because YA isn't a genre.

One of my favorite high-fantasy authors is Robin Hobb. Simply because she develops her character so well, her writing is amazing as well as her world-building skills. I admit her series are very long and can be exhausting, but is all worth it.

A Song of Ice and Fire. I write high-fantasy and for anyone else who writes is that genre I recomend reading it or at least checking out Game of Thrones as long as you're okay with mature themes. Currently A Song of Ice and Fire is my favourite book series and Game of Thrones is my favourite tv show. I use to write high-fantasy a lot when I was little and then I went through this period where I didn't. It was when I started watching Game of Thrones that I rediscovered the genre and now it is mostly all I write. Its not a book for everyone, I admit and has a confusing storyline and setting however once you get into the story it all falls into place. It's very well written and has a good balance between politics, war, personal stories, romance and how all that is impacting the everyday folk. All the characters are well developed-take Arya for example who turns from a little tomboy lady of Winterfell into a wanted child/teen assassin. And the characters are...wow...devilish.

Ahhh... Fantasy! There are so many books in this genre I adore. Skulduggery Pleasant. The Raven Cycle. The Curseworkers. Lockwood & Co. Fairytales for Wilde Girls. Harry Potter.
That's a very short list, but they're the major ones that I am madly in love with. The fantasy in all of them is so beautifully woven into the story and created.

I'm currently reading the fourth book in the Wheel of Time Series by Robert Jordan. I'm pretty picky when it comes to fantasy, but I really love this series so far. The characters are all developed well, and the pacing is really good. I highly recommend it, however in includes 14 books and each is over 800 pages soooo it requires quite the time investment but its worth at least reading the fist few.

You should try reading Brandon Sanderson. He writes epic/heroic fantasy as well as children's fantasy. He actually finished up the Wheel of Time series that LittleFox metioned because Robert Jordan died. He is a wonderful fantasy author!

Brandon Sanderson is just a gift that keeps on giving, be it Words of Radiance, Mistborn, Steelheart or even Warbreaker.

Robin Hobb is great because she doesn't pull any punches, though her later works are increasingly sugar-sweet in comparison to the gritty Assassin trilogy. She was probably the first writer to get me seriously interested in writing low fantasy, and the capacity for magical systems to be culturally situated and prone to error.

Patrick Rothfuss knows how to string words together. The tropes he plays with, the way he frames his narrative, the way he subverts expectations and yet provides genuine reader-oriented pay-offs. Great stuff.

These are probably my top three. I started off in fantasy with the likes of Raymond Feist and David Eddings (who I still admire), but these other guys tend to outplay them in characterisation, the depth and consistency of setting and narrative, the intensity and emotional investment of plot, and just general writing quality.

I'm a big fan of A Song of Ice and Fire, and The Dark Tower series. These books are fantasy, but operate on a fundamental level of realism that isn't boring, but makes the more fantastical/magical elements stand out more. True, Stephen King and George R.R. Martin can be a bit verbose for some people's tastes, but when you're describing a place nobody's ever seen, it's better to have than to lack.

I also love Lord of the Rings, The Inheritance Cycle, and the Warcraft books. Sure, the Warcraft books aren't the pinnacle of fantasy writing, but I like the universe and the characters. So they get a pass, as far as I'm concerned.

The Belgariad by David Eddings is truly amazing. The world is well made, the characters real, and the plot, though a bit cliche at times, is definitely something that keeps you on your toes. My favorite part about it, though, is watching the characters interact and seeing their personalities shine through- the playful, needling banter of Silk; Polgara's cold strictness and her sort of tough love kindness; Durnik's strong sense of ethics and his groundedness, even in the midst of all this magic and adventure and insanity. They are all so amazing <3

Beka Cooper by Tamora Pierce is also amazing. Beka is a realistic character- much more believable than some of Pierce's other MCs, like Alanna (though I love her too). She is shy and makes mistakes but is a strong female character. I love how it likens the Guard to dogs, too- such a great analogy ^_^

Those are a few of my favorites, but I read lots of fantasy in general, so there's a lot more I love, too :D

Brandon Sanderson and Robin Hobb are the best fantasy-genre writers for me. Brandon for his creative take on the concept of magic, Robin for her wonderful portrayal of her characters. Stormlight Archive is his best series; Rainwild Chronicle is her best.

Newly budding writer that I'm keeping an eye off is Sabaa Tahir. Her story is just unadulterated while managing to stay in the line. I love her An Ember in the Ashes, it gets 4.3/5 stars in Good Reads, and last I checked, the second installment A Torch Against the Night gets 4.4, so the quality gets better and better. Like Robin, her focus is more on characters that magic.

For me, my favorite is C.S. Lewis (and his Narnia series). His prose is excellent and so is his worldbuilding. He doesn't concentrate on only fantasy but also on the characters and plot.

Tolkien isn't too bad either. I did read about halfway in the The Fellowship of the Ring and then the print of the book was too small to handle. The Hobbit was great too. This is more like worldbuilding than magic but I like it anyway.

But of the newer authors I like is maybe not strictly fantasy? His name is Chris Colfer and he writes the "Land of Stories" books, a middle-grade series set in Earth and the fairy-tale world. It means that many of the famous fairy-tale characters are mixed together in one world. Though the magic isn't so special, his characters are unique and humorous.

Does writers who concentrate more on magic than characters have less popularity than does who concentrate on the story itself?

Joanne Rowling (Harry Potter Series) is obviously one of my favourite authors, but some of my other favourites are Colleen Houck (Tiger Saga), Brent Weeks (Night Angel Trilogy), and Stuart Hill (Icemark Trilogy), as well as less famous authors like Naomi Novik (Temeraire Quintet) and Michelle Paver (Chronicles of Ancient Darkness).

In general, I prefer reading high fantasy - epic fantasy is even better - although low fantasy can be just as wonderful to read. I haven't encountered many medium/middle (whichever XD) fantasy authors, but I've found I am less likely to enjoy them because it's difficult to do justice.

I love how diverse fantasy is, but the genre has other advantages too: in being so large, there will always be fantasy novels or series that you haven't read. There's always something to which you can look forward!

Hey, I love Chronicles of Ancient Darkness too! That reminds me, I have to reread that.

One of my favourite series is His Dark Materials by Phillip Pullman. It's heavily influenced my beliefs in recent years - it has a very philosophical nature as the trilogy progresses, and although it's regarded as anti-religious it's more than that, I think. The ideas shared within the book are incredibly thought-provoking.

Another series someone else recommended to me is Chaos Walking by Patrick Ness. I've only read the first book but the writing is excellent! The book is written in present tense and first person, and the way words rush by in action scenes and drag along in awkward/tense ones is very engaging. I also love the worldbuilding - there are a lot of mysteries upon mysteries to be investigated and the threat of death seems even more real thanks to the way it's written. Fantastic stuff, even just in the first book.

I'm not such a fan of 'classic' high fantasy - the worldbuilding and abundance of characters and foreign languages and names to remember are very difficult for me to process! I prefer lower fantasy. I tend to stay away from urban fantasy and things like that unless it's recommended to me, because I find it's usually in the YA age group and that's very hit-and-miss.