9 epic adult fantasy series on my TBR
One of the most popular genres I see on BookTok, Bookstagram and BookTube by a long way is adult fantasy, particularly epic adult fantasy with an expansive world and usually a long series of books.
Adult fantasy is a genre I find intimidating, but when I do dive in I quite often fall in love.
My list of intimidating and ridiculously popular adult fantasy series that I want to begin in 2022 is huge, and honestly? Extremely daunting and I keep putting them off… It just feels like such a huge commitment! And I’m really worried about not enjoying such popular texts.
I need to suck it up and get going. This is my TBR, where should I start?!
‘The Blade Itself’ by Joe Abercrombie - the first book in ‘The First Law’ trilogy is so beloved, so beloved, and is the first book by the self-proclaimed Lord Grimdark. I’m not even 100% sure what this is about, but I’ve heard so much about the incredible writing and dark humour that I don’t need to know anymore.
‘Assassin’s Apprentice’ by Robin Hobb - at first glance this is the first book in a trilogy, but it actually kicks of an entire larger series of 19 (huge) fantasy novels, ‘The Realm of the Elderlings’. Each trilogy is intertwined and interconnected, and while most of the trilogies stand alone, I am a bit of a completionist and I’d love to conquer the whole shebang, starting with Fitz: a royal bastard drafted to be a royal assassion.
‘City of Brass’ by SA Chakraborty - set in eighteenth-century Cairo, this trilogy focuses on ancient mythology of djinn, spirits and enchantment, and while I’m not usually a fan of historical settings, I love what they bring to fantasy. Even more so when the magic system is influenced and inspired by mythology.
‘The Way of Kings’ by Brandon Sanderson - I’m a huge fan of Brandon Sanderson and I’ve read all of his books except the ‘Stormlight Archive’ because it intimidates the crap out of me. Each book is over 1000 pages and there are 4 so far, with 6 more to come (so far). That’s 10,000+ pages… And my memory is shocking so I can’t reread all the previous books every time a new instalment comes out! I n t i m i d a t i n g
‘Jade City’ by Fonda Lee - this trilogy is a political fantasy about a world where jade users have enhanced strength and speed; it makes them into deadly warriors, and political tensions are high. I’ve heard endlessly good things about this series and I need to dive in asap.
‘Leviathan Wakes’ by James A Corey - now, this is sci-fi, I know that, but it’s also a long series with huge books that makes me a bit nervous. It’s a murder mystery in space follow the human colonisation of lots of the planets.
‘Traitor’s Blade’ by Sebastien de Castell - this isn’t a long series, it’s just four books, but the books are chunkers and it has a raft of fans. Hype, man… So intimidating. The ‘Greatcoats’ series is supposed to be full of dark humour about a bunch of mercenaries and travel magistrates.
‘Senlin Ascends’ by Josiah Bancroft - after seeing one of my favourite booktubers (PeruseProject) fall in love with this series I was immediately intrigued by this story of a newly married couple visiting the Tower of Babel. What ensues is a search through the dangerous, enormous floors of the tower when Senlin’s young wife goes missing.
‘The Eye of the World’ by Robert Jordan - the big one. The legend. The 14 book fantasy series that is a fave of fantasy bros the world over. Though I would love to dive into this series, I don’t know if I’ll actually ever drum up the courage…
Hellppppp! Are any of your favourites on here? What should I pick up first?
Written by Sophie
