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@joyofemberley Nice! I should rewatch some of the episodes sometime . . . if I have time, anyway.

Oh, definitely! I love recommending books to people. So, my top recommendation in Christian fantasy is always the Tales of Goldstone Wood by Anne Elisabeth Stengl. The first book, Heartless, is (in my opinion) one of the most beautiful and thrilling allegories I’ve ever read; the rest of the series isn’t as blatantly allegorical, but it’s still powerful. This series also includes the only books I’ve ever read to simultaneously feel like an epic and a fairy tale. It’s amazing.

If you think you might like some historical in your fantasy, I would recommend looking up Suzannah Rowntree’s retellings. She has a series of fairy tale retellings, all of which blend fantasy elements with some era of history. She also wrote a King Arthur retelling, Pendragon’s Heir, which is very good, though long, and which has a very timeless voice— it feels simultaneously modern and centuries old, but in a good way. I haven’t read all her books, but based on what I have read, I think anything she’s written would be good. Her books are also all standalones, so you’re not committing to a whole series by trying one.

That said, if you do want a series, another great choice is the Orphan’s Song trilogy by Gillian Bronte Adams. These are short books that you could read in an afternoon, but they’re delightful. There are some traditional fantasy elements and some less-traditional ones, and the characters are super fun, especially Amos (who’s grumpy and protective and has a History and is somehow funny and tragic and the absolute best, ok?). Book three in the trilogy is coming out this summer, so now’s the perfect time to start it!

Another series recommendation: if you’re looking for epic fantasy with low magic, I highly recommend Jaye L. Knight’s Ilyon Chronicles. Again, you’ve got great characters who you’ll fall in love with— and then break your heart over, because Jaye apparently took the advice to torture your characters to heart. This series basically has everything you could want: powerful testimonies, lovable characters, dragons, solid theology, adventure, intrigue, evil emperors, a setting that mixes medieval and Roman elements, and (in book 3), one of the best epic-battle sequences I’ve read in all Christian fantasy. (There’s also another element in book 3 that shows up in a lot of Christian fantasy that I think Jaye handled unusually well, but it’s low-key a spoiler.)

Finally, if you want something that’s sometimes amazing, sometimes just ok, but all around unique, look up basically anything by Kendra E. Ardnek. I especially recommend her Rizkaland Legends— portal fantasy in the tradition of Narnia; two books out so far, and the main villain in those two has a marvelous arc, plus the world is one of the most unusual I’ve ever read, and the main characters in book two are an absolute delight. Don’t be thrown off by the cover of the first book, or by the fact that the female lead in the first book can be annoying depending on your personality. Get through until you meet Andrew and everything will be wonderful.

I could recommend more, but I think that’s enough to get you started. 🙂 Have fun!