Reddit mentions of The Sword of Shannara Trilogy

Here some good ol' high fantasy standbys from my shelves. There's a good chance you'll be able to find these at any used book store.

• The Shannara books - Plenty to choose from, but I've only read the original three personally.
  
• The Memory, Sorrow & Thorn series - You may need a character flowchart, but it's worth it.
  
• The Renshai Trilogy and the sequel "next generation" series the Renshai Chronicles - Very nordic, if that's your bag.
  
• The Legend of Nightfall - Possibly my favorite book, actually. Great if you like the thief archetype.
  
• The Magic Kingdom of Landover series - Half spoof, half serious
  
  And of course, any of the Discworld books if you feel like giving the genre a light ribbing. You can honestly pick up the series anywhere, but I'm a fan of the books that pertain to the Watch.

• Brave New World by Aldous Huxley, taught in many schools and rightfully so because it is great.
  
  
• The Underland Chronicles by Suzanne Collins(also wrote Hunger Games) very few people have read these books which is sad because they are great, they are aimed for a younger audience but still good for a lighter read for adults
  
• The Disappearing Spoon: And Other True Tales of Madness, Love, and the History of the World from the Periodic Table of the Elements by Sam Kean, great informative and entertaining book about science
  
  
• The Sword of Shannara Trilogy by Terry Brooks, great fantasy series that few people have read
  
  
• Pride and Prejudice and Zombies: The Deluxe Heirloom Edition by Jane Austen, Seth Grahame-Smith, a entertaining twist on the original and this version has even more zombies than the original edition, have it and love it.
  
  These are some of my favorite books, all of which I have read and hope to own someday or currently own. I highly recommend the Underland Chronicles to you since you like the Hunger Games but I really think you will like any of these books.

Have you tried .. every "pop" fantasy book ever?


The Shannara books are pretty popular. https://www.amazon.com/Sword-Shannara-Trilogy-Terry-Brooks/dp/0345453751


So are the Discworld books (a bit more tongue in cheek).
https://www.amazon.com/Color-Magic-Discworld-Terry-Pratchett/dp/0062225677


Terry Goodkind's Sword of Truth series is really good. https://www.amazon.com/Wizards-First-Rule-Sword-Truth/dp/0812548051

If you want to branch out into fantasy that isn't swords and wizards, you can move into things like The Deathgate Cycle. https://www.amazon.com/Dragon-Wing-Death-Gate-Cycle/dp/0553286390


All of these have pretty interesting worlds with a hero that saves the day.

Lots of great suggestions so far!

You might also enjoy Terry Brooks. The place to start is The Sword of Shannarra trilogy.

Katherine Kurtz has a bunch of completed series that are worth reading. I'd start with the Deryni books.

If you'd like something a little more compact, the War of the Blades series by J.D. Hallowell is a quick, fun read.

And finally, since you're already going to be reading The Coldfire Trilogy, you won't want to forget C.S. Friedman's Magister trilogy.

Hmmm... Terry Brooks is a lengthy writer of the 'epic fantasy' subgenre, similar to Tolkien in that regard. He has written multiple trilogies within the same world, and following the same decedents. If that's your cup of tea, I'd have no problem recommending him, although it is quite the lengthy starting point, and only if you don't mind the typical epic trilogy template. The original series is The Sword of Shannara Trilogy

George R.R. Martin is widely considered to be one of the most revolutionary fantasy writers of our time. His A Song of Ice and Fire series has rightfully won many awards. It is gritty--sometimes vulgar--brutally realistic fantasy. Each chapter is told from a different character's point of view, and he rotates these viewpoints to advance the story across the world he has created. This series is also long, but absolutely worth the read at some point. He has published 4 out of his intended 7 books of the series, and the 5th should be coming up soon (although he's been working on it for about 5 years, ugh!). The series starts with A Game of Thrones. His subtle plots and back stories make for a wonderful trip into an action-packed adventure and deeply political world. I would very tentatively compare it to the tv show Lost, because it keeps you guessing in a very good way and gives you dynamic, complicated characters without constant flashbacks. I easily consider this to be the best fantasy I have ever read.

Anne Bishop is an interesting author. I categorize her as a particularly indulgent pleasure of mine, as she tends to focus a lot on the romantic relationships of her characters. While it does get sappy at times (and maybe a bit cliche), I would argue that she manages to capture the more primal nature of humanity in a hyperbolic sort of way. All that being said, she definitely thought up an amazingly creative world and cast in The Black Jewels Trilogy, and I have read it through on several occasions (and yes, it makes me shed a few tears every time), although its eventual squeals and her newer work are pretty bad IMO. If you decide to give the trilogy a shot, I'd just recommend to stick with it, as a lot of confusion that I had when I started it my first time through eventually got cleared up, and it has won an easy place in my heart (and is also pretty popular). If you read this trilogy and enjoy it, then read her standalone book from the same world titled The Invisible Ring

As for Robin Hobb, it's been a while since I've read her first couple trilogies, and don't remember much other than how much I enjoyed them. The first book of the first trilogy is Assassin's Apprentice. That's about all I can give since I don't remember much, but it definitely is not the cliche epic.

You simply can't go wrong with any of those authors or books, and I think they give you a wide enough variety of types to choose from. It's tough, though, because good fantasy pushes the boundaries of how you define the genre. Maybe my advice isn't the best, as I'm not quite sure what qualities are desirable for 'starters' in the genre. I started with Tolkien before jumping right into Brooks, so I went right off the epic deep end. That held my attention for quite a while, but it gets old eventually. I think Martin does it best with an epic feel, but not forced or cliche. Bishop, as I said, is innovative and sentimental to an extent, but does not shy away from celebrating sexuality and including some very disturbing elements. If you decide to give any of these a shot, definitely let me know! I would be very curious to hear your thoughts on any of them as someone not used to the genre.

That sounds like a pretty cool job actually. Hope you enjoy yourself!

As far as books go, I would recommend The Sword of Shannara Trilogy by Terry Brooks and His Dark Materials Trilogy by Philip Pullman.

There are a lot of amazing suggestions over at /r/fantasy. And more often than not the authors pop in to say hi.

As for my own suggestions:

Outlander by Diana Gabaldon is probably my favorite book/series. It's light and romancy, but has time travel and historical fiction mixed in.

Wizard's First Rule by Terry Goodkind is another great book. It is part of a series (which can get pretty heavy in the later books). But as a standalone book, its quite entertaining.

The Sword of Shannara Trilogy by Terry Brooks is a really fun read. Warlocks, druids, elves, magical trees... I thoroughly enjoyed the trilogy, as well as the author's other books. This one would probably be where I'd start if you're looking at getting in to true fantasy.

Hope you enjoy! Good luck :)