Looking for Fantasy/Sci-fi Recommendations
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Hi, all,
Does anyone have recommendations for epic fantasy or sci-fi books or series (or even movies/TV series)? I’m trying to find something along the lines of Lord of the Rings, Avatar the Last Airbender, Star Wars: The Clone Wars, etc: big-scale plots, rich world building, heroes and villains, very thematic etc.
Thanks! 🙂
Ashley
@josiah The spam filter ate my Goodreads recommendations post! Any chance you could restore it?
I would recommend The Wingfeather Saga by Andrew Peterson and The Space Trilogy by C.S. Lewis.
A couple of others that hit “rich worldbuilding” and “very thematic” but not “big-scale plots” would be Women of Kern: Book One by Maris McKay (the first story does have some sexual content, just FYI, and I wouldn’t personally recommend Women of Kern: Book Two because it has a lot more of that, but most of Book One is good) and Steward Stories by Beth Wangler (also has some sexual content, but it’s much less descriptive and it’s critical to the themes).
Mistborn also seems to fall into a similar category to what you’re looking for, though I’ve only read the first book so far.
Speculative fiction author. Mythology nerd. Worldbuilding enthusiast. Singer. Fan of classic literature.
Have you read any of Brandon Sanderson’s books? He really checks all those boxes. He has several series and standalones that take place in the same universe, all leading into his Stormlight Archives series. I recommend starting with Mistborn: The Final Empire.
Have you read many Star Wars books? The old Thrawn books (not the new canon ones) by Timothy Zahn are very fun, and, most people would agree, a much better sequel trilogy than what Disney made. Bonus points for the twentieth anniversary (I think?) audiobook, which has superb voice work, sound effects, and score, including a remix of Duel of the Fates for the trilogy’s climactic battle.
@taylorclogston Done! Sorry about that!
@ashley-tegart if you really like LotR and worldbuilding, then I would recommend the Silmarillion! It’s quite dry (I wouldn’t exactly read it for pleasure), but the worldbuilding and themes are fantastic. It’s much less black and white than LotR (which is pretty nuanced to begin with) in the sense that although good and evil are clearly defined, the characters often don’t make the right decisions and end up paying the price. I think that the characters were really interesting, plus the level of worldbuilding is just unbelievable 🙂
*laughs as one fey*
Glad you asked! I would recommend The Wingfeather Saga by Andrew Peterson, and The Green Ember series by S.D. Smith. Both of them are Christian books, and are my top two favorite series. I would also recommend the Inheritance Cycle by Christopher Paolini, especially if you like dragons!
~Kylie
"I read that book, and it affected me." ~my sister, about the Warrior Cats.
I see a bunch of people have already recommended some Brandon Sanderson, mainly Mistborn, but he also wrote a Sci-fi series that I really enjoyed! Skyward hits all those points, with a plot that is both galaxy-wide but close enough that every single character matters, awesome, original, intricate worldbuilding that’s detailed enough to be immersive but simple enough that it isn’t info-dumpy or overwhelming, and some really cool themes and character development!
The first two books, “Skyward” and “Starsight” are out, and “Cytonic” is coming out pretty soon! I really recommend it!
Without darkness, there is no light. If there was no nighttime, would the stars be as bright?
Thank you for the recommendations, everyone! 🙂
I love The Space Trilogy! I also read the first two books of the Wingfeather Saga, but not the other two, so thanks for the reminder to finish the series! 🙂
I’m actually reading the old Thrawn trilogy now! I’m partway through the final book and have really enjoyed them. 🙂 I read Mistborn a few years and didn’t love it, but have been curious about The Way of Kings series. Do you have to read the complete Mistborn trilogy first to enjoy his other books?
I absolutely love Tolkien and The Silmarillion! 🙂 Have you read The Children of Hurin or the Fall of Gondolin?
The Green Ember books sound really cool! I’ll check those out! 🙂
I have read Skyward, and I forgot the third book was coming out soon! 🙂
Yay! Someone who’s read The Space Trilogy! 😀 I love the series, but it seems to be one of Lewis’s more often overlooked works.
Ooh, you should definitely finish The Wingfeather Saga! The third and fourth books are a lot stronger than the first two, so if you liked the first two (or at least got through them), you’ll definitely find the last two worthwhile to finish.
Speculative fiction author. Mythology nerd. Worldbuilding enthusiast. Singer. Fan of classic literature.
@ashley-tegart Sorry for the late post engagement. You certainly don’t need to finish Mistborn to read any of Sanderson’s other works. Stormlight is much more grand and epic in terms of scale and character than Mistborn, I highly recommend checking out at least The Way of Kings. Plus there are giant swords and giant crabs. What else could you want?
If you can get your hands on the novelizations of Star Wars Ep. 4-6, they’re actually really good. Give them a try and see what you think.
"Only a Sith deals in absolutes"
-Quipmaster 2005For Sci-Fi, check out the Ender Saga and Asimov’s original Foundation trilogy (the prequels are also good, though not as good as the trilogy. I don’t recommend the sequels.)
N.D.Wilson’s Ashtown Burials series is phenomenal. Christian author and super creative. Intense, original, and timeless.
The Six of Crows dulogy is a great fantasy heist story. Gorgeous prose and (mostly) epic characterization. Lots of content warnings though, lol. 😂
I’m currently reading Jonathan Strange and Mr Norrel. Imagine if Jane Austen or Charles Dickens wrote a satirical book about two Englishmen reviving the practice of magic. It’s basically a satire on British satire and loads of fun. Not really epic, but very impressive with deep worldbuilding.
Er…
You could always try The Name of the Wind. I’ve heard the sequel is very graphic, but TNotW isn’t particularly bad, and I’m a huge fan of the writing. Absolute masterpiece. Makes me drool with envy.
The Lightbringer series is very epic, though personally I found the conclusion to the series unsatisfying. Great worldbuilding and crazy plot twists though.
The 7 1/2 Deaths of Evelyn Hardcastle is a time loop murder mystery that is nothing but mindblowing. I should actually listen to it again…
As others have said, Brandon Sanderson is just…the best. I’m not sure why you didn’t like Mistborn. If you want to appreciate Mistborn more, read Mistborn: Secret History. If you want something slightly more epic and grand scale and a little less gloomy, read The Stormlight Archives. And if you want something more upbeat and easier to get into, try The Rythmatist. It’s more YA or middlegrade than his other books, but actually one of my all time favorites.
That’s all that comes to mind right now. I guess my book could also qualify. The Songkiller’s Symphony if you’re interested.
For Sci-Fi, check out the Ender Saga and Asimov’s original Foundation trilogy (the prequels are also good, though not as good as the trilogy. I don’t recommend the sequels.)
N.D.Wilson’s Ashtown Burials series is phenomenal. Christian author and super creative. Intense, original, and timeless.
The Six of Crows dulogy is a great fantasy heist story. Gorgeous prose and (mostly) epic characterization. Lots of content warnings though, lol. 😂
I’m currently reading Jonathan Strange and Mr Norrel. Imagine if Jane Austen or Charles Dickens wrote a satirical book about two Englishmen reviving the practice of magic. It’s basically a satire on British satire and loads of fun. Not really epic, but very impressive with deep worldbuilding.
Er…
You could always try The Name of the Wind. I’ve heard the sequel is very graphic, but TNotW isn’t particularly bad, and I’m a huge fan of the writing. Absolute masterpiece. Makes me drool with envy.
The Lightbringer series is very epic, though personally I found the conclusion to the series unsatisfying. Great worldbuilding and crazy plot twists though.
The 7 1/2 Deaths of Evelyn Hardcastle is a time loop murder mystery that is nothing but mindblowing. I should actually listen to it again…
As others have said, Brandon Sanderson is just…the best. I’m not sure why you didn’t like Mistborn. If you want to appreciate Mistborn more, read Mistborn: Secret History. If you want something slightly more epic and grand scale and a little less gloomy, read The Stormlight Archives. And if you want something more upbeat and easier to get into, try The Rythmatist. It’s more YA or middlegrade than his other books, but actually one of my all time favorites.
That’s all that comes to mind right now. I guess my book could also qualify. The Songkiller’s Symphony if you’re interested.
<p style=”text-align: left;”>Oooh I love these recs. Totally second The Stormlight Archives, Six of Crows, Wingfeather Saga, and I’m a big Brandon Sanderson fan. Jonathan Strange and Mr. Norrell was fun too, though it’s been a while. I also recommend Gillian Bronte Adams.</p>
So fun to see some of my favorites listed here!
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