Popular Books I Want to Read | Fantasy

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Hello Hello! How are you? 

Today I’m back on the blog with a new discussion post, and something I’d like to talk to you more about this year, a.k.a. popular books I want to read! I’ve decided to break this down into different genres and since fantasy is my favourite genre, that is what I’m going with first. 

I had so much fun looking at loads of great popular fantasy books, both standalones and series, but I’ve finally settled on 10 titles that I really want to read, some of which are already on my physical TBR.

So without further ado, let’s get into this post!

Guards! Guards! (#8 Discworld, #1 The City Watch) by Terry Pratchett

The first book on this list is one in a quite confusing and very, very large series which I’m sure you’ve all already heard about: the Discworld series. I will admit to being quite overwhelmed by the sheer amount of books in this series, and not really knowing where to start. Fiona from Fi’s Bibliofiles loves this series and came to my aid, suggesting I start not in the chronological order (like I usually do), but instead in some of the smaller series/sub-series. So after lots of research and questions, I finally settled on starting with The City Watch sub-series, which is also what the website suggests as the first sub-series. I bought this beautiful edition ages ago, and I think I’ve got lots of expectations and almost like a tiny bit of stress about starting it, because it’s a big investment, but I do really, really want to start reading it soon, so I will do my best! 

The Name of the Wind (#1 The Kingkiller Chronicles) by Patrick Rothfuss

I was ever so kindly gifted this beautiful anniversary edition of this book a few Christmasses ago, but I still haven’t gotten around to it. It’s one of those books you hear about constantly on Book Twitter, Bookstagram and BookTube, but it’s the one you seem to never have time or energy to pick up. I’m so intrigued by this premise, I’ve heard such AMAZING things about it, and I’ve put it on my 23 in 2023 TBR so I will make sure to pick it up this year. I’m excited about it, and it deserves my time now, as it’s been sitting on my shelves for a long time. 

The Final Empire (#1 Mistborn) by Brandon Sanderson 

Out of this whole list, it is the only book I don’t own yet. I find it surprising that I own all these very popular fantasy books/series and have still not read any of them!! This is also a wildly popular series and Brandon Sanderson’s books are generally considered as extremely popular and enjoyable. And I’ve still not read a single one of them! I’ve heard a lot of people talk about this series, especially about the political and magical systems. It seems like quite a complex book and since it’s a series which kind of slots into the main world of this author’s works, I do think I’ll need to be in the right frame of mind to properly enjoy this book, but it really interests me, and I fancy some unique and intense fantasy! 

The Eye of the World (#1 The Wheel of Time) by Robert Jordan 

This is another series that overwhelms me so much because a) the books are massive on their own and b) it is a 14-book series! I absolutely love book series, especially fantasy, and especially when it doesn’t just wrap up in a trilogy or a duology. I also know that Robert Jordan sadly passed away before finishing this series, and that his wife (who was also his editor I think?) asked Brandon Sanderson to step in and finish the final 3 volumes. I’m kind of worried about starting this series and getting hooked because it will eat up my time and money, but I’m also completely okay with that, in a sadistic way. I’m excited, it’s probably the most “high-fantasy” book I have on my TBR, and it’s about time I got stuck in! 

The Fifth Season (#1 The Broken Earth) by N. K. Jemisin 

This is a series that I’ve seen about so much in the book community and on social media, and I’ve also heard some absolutely fantastic things about it. Apparently this is a blend of fantasy, science fiction, and it has post-apocalyptic tropes, so it only just sort of fits in this list, but I’m running with it. I absolutely love the premise of this book, it sounds like it has such a wide and complex world, it also sounds like it will be a really tense read, but I particularly like post-apocalyptic settings, especially in fantasy. I already have a copy of this first book in the series, so I must try it out soon.

Assassin’s Apprentice (#1 The Farseer Trilogy) by Robin Hobb

I’ve had this book on my TBR for a couple of years now, and have kept hearing really good things about it, but I’ve never picked it up. I think it’s again one of those long series with sub-series or trilogies set in the same world. I’ve always liked the sound of this premise. I like that it has royalty and is somewhat set at court, and that the main character, born a bastard, has a special magic link to animals. It sounds like an intriguing magical system, but also court politics, and watching the main character move away from magic to become a royal assassin. It was first published in 1995, and it is still really popular today, so I need to give it a fair chance. 

The Lies of Locke Lamora (#1 Gentleman Bastard) by Scott Lynch

I’ve also seen this one about everywhere in the last couple of years since being on social media, and it seems to be one of the books that keeps appearing in “popular fantasy” lists. The Gentleman Bastard series has 4 books so far I think, with the next one expected to publish in 2024. That leaves me time to catch up with the first books in the series, as I generally don’t like waiting years between books, and wait until the whole series is published before diving in. Again, I think this book will have a really complex world, setting and political/magical system, and it is about an orphan, so it’s giving off magical/fantasy Oliver Twist vibes. I think it sounds really interesting, quite dark maybe, and I think it’ll have a lot of suspense and action. I’m totally ready for it!

Good Omens: The Nice and Accurate Prophecies of Agnes Nutter, Witch by Terry Pratchett and Neil Gaiman

Ohhh this book! I started it ages and ages ago, and at this time, I never used to laugh while reading books, and this one made me roar with laughter so many times. Unfortunately, I was really stressed and busy while reading it, so I put it down and never picked it up, and I’m ashamed of that. I love that this is a mix of fantasy, urban fantasy, sort of apocalyptic, with witches, gods, magic, prophecies and lots and lots of humour. I know I was very much enjoying it, and I know it is a very popular book. My fiancé has also seen the series, which he adored, and keeps telling me I need to watch it, so it’s a good excuse to finally read the book. I think I’ll save it for when I’m down, in need of a pick up, or feeling particularly cold, because it seems like it could turn into a comfort read. 

The Golden Compass (#1 His Dark Materials) by Phillip Pullman

I have to admit that I’m ashamed this book is on this list and that I haven’t read it yet. I started watching the BBC adaptation, and really enjoyed it, so I stopped before I got too far so I could read the book. I also own the bind-up of the whole series in a really beautiful edition, and I’ve put it on yearly TBRs so many years in a row. I love the premise, I liked what I saw in the TV show, I like that the main character is a young girl, the magic system seems so interesting, and the political intrigue seems complex and tense. This series has everything going for it, and I want to read so many more books by this author, so I have to start somewhere!! 

The Night Circus by Erin Morgenstern

And the final book on this list is maybe one of the most popular and one I’ve heard hundreds of people rave about. So maybe people say this is their favourite book!! I started reading it a few years ago and just couldn’t get into it, but after chatting with a few people, I realised my expectations for the book were set on the characters, and I’ve been told that the circus is the important part. Knowing that, I have a feeling I’ll enjoy it a lot more, and from what I had already read, I couldn’t fault the writing style, so I’m going to give it another shot, and I’m still very excited to read it. 

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That’s all for now, I hope you enjoyed reading this post. 

See you soon, stay safe, 

Ellie xx