(Part 2) Best sword & sorcery fantasy books according to redditors
We found 416 Reddit comments discussing the best sword & sorcery fantasy books. We ranked the 142 resulting products by number of redditors who mentioned them. Here are the products ranked 21-40. You can also go back to the previous section.
Hmm. It seems like you are seeking books that are NOT grimdark with characters that are likable and well-intentioned. Check out Heroes of Issalia and Wardens of Issalia. Yes, I wrote both series, but they might be exactly what you are seeking.
Let me offer you a wholesome, bright, fun to read fantasy novel that does not take itself too seriously but also does not fool around.
This novel is something I can guarantee all fantasy lovers, especially those who like anime and video games, will like. It is fun enough that even science fiction fans who don't feel interest in fantasy like it.
Steel and Flame is the story of two Auxliarii officers, Zeneth of Antua and Ruwa the Red, who embark on a large scale mission after a terrorist incident in their nation.
Together they face, and overcome, adversity and grow stronger via bonds of trust and loyalty.
This is a character driven story which combines the classics with innovation to build an entirely different style. With protagonists you are bound to love and a vibrant, colorful world full of exciting adventures!
All for the small price of 3.46 USD digital and 12 USD print. Also available on Kindle Unlimited.
Healers Suck! A GameLit Harem (Crystalia Online Book 1) Charles Andrews 2018/9/21 https://www.amazon.com/dp/B07HL8LTRL
The Hall: Book 1 of the Muraglen Saga Frank Albelo 2018/9/21 https://www.amazon.com/dp/B07HL8Y9K6
Princess Tamer 6: A LitRPG Harem Adventure Neil Bimbeau 2018/9/21 https://www.amazon.com/dp/J6FQVPT
Myth Protector: A Gamelit Harem Fairy Tale Adventure Jamie Hawke 2018/9/22 https://www.amazon.com/dp/B07HLQH975
Game of his life: A litrpg and gamelit mmo action adventure Jason Alters 2018/9/22 https://www.amazon.com/dp/B07HLRSQPV
Raid Slayer: A LITRPG Fantasy Adventure Riley Morrison 2018/9/22 https://www.amazon.com/dp/B07H7T8XWL
Trojan: An Epic LitRPG Adventure (Afterlife Online Book 3) Domino Finn 2018/9/24 https://www.amazon.com/dp/B07HMK5JBR
The Arena (The Adventures of Horc Book 2) Drew Seren and Robert Brownson 2018/9/24 https://www.amazon.com/dp/B07HMJPSL4
It Ain't Easy (The Valens Legacy Book 10) Jan Stryvant 2018/9/24 https://www.amazon.com/dp/B07HMR3WS8
Game Changer (Reality Benders Book #3) LitRPG Series Michael Atamanov 2018/9/24 https://www.amazon.com/dp/B07FQQGC83
The Idle System: The New Journey Pegaz A 2018/9/24 https://www.amazon.com/dp/B07HNKPKZ3
Phoenix World: Beta Test Zone 5 C.W. Dykes 2018/9/25 https://www.amazon.com/dp/B07HPDZGWW
Trapped in a Video Game (Book 4): Return to Doom Island Dustin Brady and Jesse Brady 2018/9/25 https://www.amazon.com/dp/B07FKFGGDR
Lord of the Flame: A LitRPG novel (Call of Carrethen Book 2) Stephen Roark 2018/9/25 https://www.amazon.com/dp/B07HNSWR7G
Solstice 2: A Gamelit Harem Adventure Harrison Shaw 2018/9/26 https://www.amazon.com/dp/B07HR31YWH
Wicked Wager - A Gamer Girl Erotic LitRPG Adventure John Waylon 2018/9/26 https://www.amazon.com/dp/B07HQY5Q3S
Freehaven Online: Lady Thunderlord, Into Hades: A LitRPG Adventure Jun Prince 2018/9/26 https://www.amazon.com/dp/B07F37VFSJ
The Eight of Nights: An OmniWorld Adventure (OmniWorld Adventures) Randy Nargi 2018/9/26 https://www.amazon.com/dp/1724047663
A Troll's Curse: A Monster MC Adventure April O'Malley 2018/9/27 https://www.amazon.com/dp/B07HRW3HQ2
One More Last Time: A LitRPG/GameLit Novel (The Good Guys Book 1) Eric Ugland 2018/9/27 https://www.amazon.com/dp/B07HS2MP8D
Danger Knights: Part I Harrison Shaw 2018/9/27 https://www.amazon.com/dp/B07HRGSL94
CO-OP (Animus Book 2) Joshua Anderle and Michael Anderle 2018/9/27 https://www.amazon.com/dp/B07HRTM2M3
Banisher Reborn: A LitRPG Series (The Banisher Chronicles Book 1) Deck Davis 2018/9/28 https://www.amazon.com/dp/B07HSPTBXV
Couch Potato Chaos: Gamebound Erik Rounds and David Debaene 2018/9/28 https://www.amazon.com/dp/B07FDTPN2R
Danger Knights: Part II Harrison Shaw 2018/9/28 https://www.amazon.com/dp/B07HTXYLW2
First Level (Replay Book 1) John Gunningham 2018/9/28 https://www.amazon.com/dp/B07HG3TQGW
Build-A-Harem: The Island Collection: Books 1-3 Zachariah Dracoulis and Elisha Dracoulis 2018/9/28 https://www.amazon.com/dp/B07HVT9MWT
Black Flame in the Barren Steppe: Epic LitRPG (Realm of Arkon, Book 8) G. Akella and Mark Berelekhis 2018/9/29 https://www.amazon.com/dp/B07HJ6LMK4
Mine Shaft: A LitRPG Sci-Fi Harem Adventure (Venus Online Book 4) Jeremy Zenith 2018/9/29 https://www.amazon.com/dp/B07HVY2GFY
Chosen: A Sexy LitRPG Novella (The Harémon Master Book 1) A.V. Kern 2018/9/30 https://www.amazon.com/dp/B07HX36MJ7
Rebirth Online: A litRPG Adventure Michael James Ploof 2018/9/30 https://www.amazon.com/dp/B07H7SNL7G
The Heroine Collector, super bundle #1: a GameLit harem saga V.R. Harimenko 2018/9/30 https://www.amazon.com/dp/B07HXNDP94
Ghosts of Smoke: A LitRPG Novel Yuli Ban 2018/9/30 https://www.amazon.com/dp/B07HWLDC6B
El Sexorcisto!: Harems and Ultraviolence Yuli Ban 2018/9/30 https://www.amazon.com/dp/B07HX4Z1NS
I prefer Nick Podehl, though I believe an equal number prefer Rupert Degas. I suggest you listen to samples of each and pick your favorite. Nick has a young American voice and does great character accents. I think his speaking voice sounds like I imagine Kvothe's would; Rupert has a slightly deeper, more gravelly Australian voice, and that put me off quickly enough that I didn't keep listening.
Here's Nick Podehl's version, and here's Rupert. Click on the Listen button below the book image for a sample.
The first six books of the Tower of Gates series are out. The game is comprised of twelve floors of a tower, each one with twelve zones. Let me know if you check it out. Books 7 - 9 are coming later this year.
My recommendation would be to go pick up some 2nd, 3rd or 4th edition sourcebooks for dirt cheap at Half Price Books or online. The Forgotten Realms sourcebook from 3.5 is what I am currently using, it has a removable foldout map of Faerun, and detailed lists of major sights throughout the realms, including descriptions of the major cities, ruins, etc.
I've heard good things about the Greenwood Forgotten Realms book as well.
You can probably also find sourcebooks specific to Waterdeep, Neverwinter, etc. though I don't know the specific titles.
The point is that generally speaking the edition doesn't matter when it comes to background materials, physical descriptions, major characters, history, politics, factions, maps, etc. It just doesn't. So do yourself a favor and buy this stuff cheap from older editions.
Also, keep in mind that while you are building off of an existing world, and there is something cool about that, the minute you start to play in it it's YOUR world. None of these sourcebooks are going to have every single detail fleshed out, and often will just give you the flavor of a particular city, a few major landmarks, etc. From there on you should create your own landmarks, taverns, interesting characters, history, etc.
This is the book that I use a lot:
http://www.amazon.com/Forgotten-Campaign-Setting-Dungeons-Roleplaying/dp/0786918365/ref=sr_1_2?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1417478819&sr=1-2&keywords=FOrgotten+Realms
Here are more:
http://www.amazon.com/Greenwood-Presents-Elminsters-Forgotten-Realms/dp/0786960345
Neverwinter book:
http://www.amazon.com/Neverwinter-Campaign-Setting-Dungeons-Supplement/dp/0786958146/ref=sr_1_4?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1417478789&sr=1-4&keywords=Neverwinter+source+book
Waterdeep book:
http://www.amazon.com/City-Splendors-Waterdeep-Roleplaying-Supplement/dp/0786936932/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1417478895&sr=1-1&keywords=Waterdeep
http://www.amazon.com/Forgotten-Realms-Atlas-Karen-Fonstad/dp/0880388579/ref=sr_1_3?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1417478853&sr=1-3&keywords=FOrgotten+Realms
Hope that helps. Also buy 4th edition stuff now if you ever think you want it. Lots of stores are having fire sales moving their 4th ed stuff.
As much as my jealousy pains me, I can't bring myself to lie to you - that thing's currently selling on Amazon for nearly $500:
https://www.amazon.com/Dragonlance-Chronicles-Special-Margaret-Weis/dp/0786942983/
I've been praying for a significant price drop, but I'm sure it will never come.
Well, most FR literature is in novel form. I am not very familiar with non-novel stuff, maybe Volo's guide to the Sword Coast? It's an old one, likely from very old versions of D&D, but it will still give you a history of some parts of FR.
As for novels, I would recommend Cormyr by Ed Greenwood, and Evermeet: Island of Elves by Elaine Cunningham. I read both of them nearly 20 years ago, and they are great stories about the history of Cormyr and the Elves respectably.
And of course there's the Drizzt Do'Urden series. They're my guilty pleasure, and give a good account of Menzoberranzan, Mithril Hall, Icewind Dale, and several other locations.
One major plot point in The Trial of Cyric the Mad by Troy Denning was that there are some artifacts that could be SO dangerous to the gods that they are forbidden from detecting them in the slightest. This means that only mortals can actually find, retrieve, destroy, deliver, etc. these artifacts.
In that book, the specific artifact as the Cyrinshad; anyone who read it began to worship Cyric (be they mortal or god).
Good luck!
I have a soft spot for novels that combine fairies with rock & roll (bonus points if it's specifically heavy metal/punk). The more earnest and ridiculous, the better. Gael Baudino's Gossamer Axe is the greatest example, but Tad Williams has a good one too, and then there's Martin Millar.
Maybe it's because there are so few of these stories that I never get tired of the idea, but I really wish there were more.
Mystara
Ah, Mystara. At first I thought that this one's more generic than Forgotten Realms, maybe that's why they put in the "yo dawg" situation. See, this world has another one inside, called Hollow World, inspired by our very own Hollow Earth, with its own Sun and everything. Also, instead of gods, it has ascended beings, called Immortals—in some ways they remind me of the Ancients from Stargate. Oh, and there's also a giant crashed space ship called FSS Beagle somewhere on the planet. Because, really, why not? Did I mention the Scottish lich? Or the Roman- and Egyptian-like people riding dinosaurs inside the Hollow World? Or the gnomes who live in their floating clockwork city... Wait, let me also tell you about how one of the planet's moons is inhabited by katana-wielding cat people samurai ninjas, who ride giant sabertooth tigers. In space. Wat.
On second thought, maybe this world isn't generic, just certifiably insane. Why aren't there dozens of novels in this setting? :(
Site: Vaults of Pandius.
Planescape
Quite famous, thanks to the fantastic PC game, Planescape: Torment. This setting ties everything else together in a way, according to this world, belief has the power to change the fabric of reality and create the Outer Planes. The center of it is Sigil, which is a giant city that's floating above the Spire, a tower of rock of infinite height. Sigil is kinda like a railway junction of portals, from here you can go to any plane you fancy as long as you can find its portal.
Sites: Planewalker and Mimir.net.
Ravenloft
Maybe it's because I'm Transylvanian, but I'm a huge fan of Ravenloft. It's basically fantasy-infused gothic horror, many of its novels are re-imaginings of classic horror tales, like Frankenstein, Dracula or The Hunchback of Notre-Dame. The setting itself is rather interesting, it's a pocket universe that's "floating" in the Ethereal Plane, surrounded by the Mists, with its own laws of physics. It also features some very iconic evil characters, like Strahd and Lord Soth—all in all, grimdark warning!
Notable fansites include The Fraternity of Shadows and Secrets of the Kargatane.
Spelljammer
Fantasy in Space. Wooden spaceships with Elven crews, steampunk themes, interstellar travel, phlogiston, organic manta ray looking giant space ships, intelligent Orcs that are more like Klingons and actually called scro, easy traveling between Forgotten Realms, Dragonlance, Ravenloft, etc. Yes!
Sites: Spelljammer.org and Spelljammer Wiki.
There are more campaign settings, such as Oriental Adventures, Mahasarpa, Jakandor, Pelinore, etc., however none of those have official novels.
That's about it, I guess. I suspect it's roughly 500 novels in total; at the rate of one per week, it'll take you ~10 years to read them all. I probably wouldn't, as some of them genuinely suck.
Ugh, this thing became far too long, apologies for that.
AmazonPublisher: Wizards of the Coast; First Edition edition (October 1, 2003)
Bahamut is stern and very disapproving of evil. He brooks no excuses for evil acts. In spite of this, he is among the most compassionate beings in the multiverse. He has limitless empathy for the downtrodden, the dispossessed, and the helpless. He urges his followers to promote the cause of good, but prefers to let beings fight their own battles when they can. To Bahamut, it is better to offer information, healing, or a (temporary) safe refuge rather than to take other’s burdens upon oneself.
Moradin charges his followers with the task of removing the kingdoms of orcs and wiping out the followers of Gruumsh. He is upset if they flee from their foes or kill their fellow dwarves.
Heironeous sees the world as a deadly place, filled with perpetual challenges and trials for those who battle for justice and defend the weak and innocent. His followers should always act with honor and chivalry, and to uphold justice. Danger is to be faced head-on, with calm and resolve. Those who defeat evil are rewarded with Glory, while those who uphold the tenets of the Arch-paladin are rewarded with Virtue. The Arch-paladin's teachings have been codified in a chivalric code known as the Heironean Code. The faith of Heironeous is a very militaristic one, launching crusades against evil and championing causes. As one would expect, many soldiers, city watchmen, mercenaries, and others who make their living by the sword find themselves honoring the Archpaladin.
need I go on, bahamut seems like the most LG of all these guys, and even he fuckin' hates tiamat
Possibly the Enchanted World series by Time Life? https://www.amazon.com/Dragons-Enchanted-World-Time-Life-Books/dp/0809452081
https://www.amazon.com/Enchanted-World-Time-Life-21-Volumes/dp/B000JVCCYC
https://www.amazon.com/gp/aw/d/1491515015/ref=tmm_abk_title_0?ie=UTF8&qid=1495921072&sr=8-3
Master of the Five Magics by Lyndon Hardy
The story of a young man finding his way through five magical systems all in an effort to meet one goal : To win the Queen. Classic fantasy style, a well put together magic journey through different disciplines. Not very long and a very quick pace.
Adding onto my list from previous weeks.
and on the audio side:
They belong in any self respecting fantasy enthusiasts library. I just started re-reading Chronicles Special Edition for the first time in 15 years, it's almost like reading it anew because I only remember it in broad strokes.
If you want to see how they used to manage it, check out the Forgotten Realms Atlas for more ridiculously detailed maps from all over the realms. They include huge overland maps and detailed interiors in a collection that detailed every major location in the Realms as of its publication based off the collected fiction/novels of TSR.
EDIT: Real old school here, but the most detailed maps EVER made for the Realms are only available in the CD ROM Forgotten Realms Atlas, where EVERYTHING existing at the time was rendered in Vector Maps. Infinitely rescalable and extractable. I use the Forgotten Realms CD to copy the maps from, then Campaign Cartographer to export them in at least 6000x6000 image size where I then lazily project them onto the whole table top. A mouse wheel zooms from perfect clarity overhead of Waterdeep to a just as clear doorway level map, all on the same image.
I used 100covers. They did pretty well, they took very little of the information I gave into consideration, so if you have a specific idea as to what it should look like it may not be the best, but it was $100 for ebook, $200 for paperback, $300 for those things plus a few extra things that I needed (like an audiocover). And if you are doing a series, every after the first is half price.
Here are the two I've gotten so far:
https://www.amazon.com/dp/product/B07TRNR8FS
https://www.amazon.com/dp/B07VLC12C9
Mine originates from a book. This book to be more exact. It inspired a song off of my favorite album of all time. That is Rust in Peace by Megadeth. Here is the song in question.
He describes wanting to rule the Five Magics to defeat the "Abyss Lord".
Those magics are Alchemy, Wizardry, Sorcery, Thermatology, and Electricity. Since "Electricity" is just Lightning Bolts, I changed it to Terraology, the Magic of The Earth and Ocean, because Lightning is used by God and no one else.
Backstory to the origin out of the way, think of magic as Bending from Avatar. Specifically Air (for the most part), Earth, and Water. You need a source to be able to do your Magics.
Alchemy takes from the elements of the Earth, you need a blueprint or the thing you're trying to replicate, like say a grape, and you need very detailed understanding of how that thing works. You can't just make a bird from a crude drawing in the dirt, oh no. You need to know every part, every organ, how much blood, it's heart rate (if you want to make one that's alive), everything. It's a science, but one that creates.
Alchemists create buildings by pulling them out from the Earth from the center of a large enough Alchemist Circle. They place their hands on the ground and imagine what they're making. They begin to pull up, the thing they're creating manifests itself as a visible, yet non-solid object. When they are finished with every detail, they pull their hands forward and push the air, making it a solid, they are then inside the structure in what is known as an "Alchemists lab", which is typically hollow and in the base of the building. These are structural weak points.
There's more, but it's way too much detail to go into. Alchemists are typically Biologists, work in Mints, or Construction workers, Carpenters, whatever.
Wizardry is the study of Potions primarily. To be a Wizard you much be a skilled Chemist. The purer your chemicals, the more potent your potions. Wizards are typically Doctors, and Warlocks are Wizards that use Potions for battle.
Sorcery requires blood or the hair of the person you're attempting to transform or hex. It also requires a spellbook, though if you have a spell memorized, it requires a larger sample of blood or hair. You can transform into a rat, a bat, curse someone with the sensation of a million needles constantly stabbing their backs, give them an irrational fear of reflections, etc. Sorceresses typically hide their powers so they are underestimated, then later feared.
Thermatology, the study of The Flame. Requires a heat source and free range of hands. You can use the humidity of the air and make it scorching hot, turning the elements in the air surrounding into, if you're a master (though only a god was capable of doing this) plasma balls. You can also manipulate fire, obviously. It requires an outside source, outside of the mortal body that is, so body heat will not suffice. Thermatologists are typically warriors.
Terraology, you may manipulate rocks, metals, plants, anything that's attached to the ground really, including water. Terraologists are typically Bio-engineers who regrow forests. They can also be Terraformers, transforming the land to be inhabitable to humans, though this has limitations.
For the record, I was inspired to get the guitar and try to learn after reading the book Gossamer Axe
The Underdark (or as I like to call them "The Sunless Lands") is your chance to do anything you want, mostly because if the PCs are being played correctly, they probably haven't heard much about it...or if they have, what they may have heard are wild tall tales or fanciful rumors that have very little basis in reality.
And blank slates don't come along very often, so you should make the most of it.
For source material, if you have access to previous editions of D&D, I would try any of the following:
https://www.amazon.com/Menzoberranzan-Famed-City-Drow-Revealed/dp/1560764600
https://www.amazon.com/Skullport-AD-Forgotten-Realms-Undermountain/dp/0786913487/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1473797909&sr=1-1&keywords=skullport
https://www.amazon.com/Drizzt-DoUrdens-Underdark-Forgotten-Realms/dp/0786915099/ref=sr_1_2?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1473797970&sr=1-2&keywords=underdark+AD%26D
Or read some of R.A. Salvatore's novels such as
https://www.amazon.com/Homeland-Trilogy-Forgotten-Realms-Legend/dp/0786939532/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1473798026&sr=1-1&keywords=r.a.+salvatore+drizzt+series
Or try http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0052948/ -- you can turn the plot of that 1959 movie into a D&D equivalent and run wild with it. Bet they never expected a "Hollow Earth" would exist down there!
Currently reading: Seagalology: The Ass-Kicking Films of Steven Seagal by Vern. Hilarious but also really interesting.
Finished reading last night: Sword in the Storm, a swords-and-sorcery novel by David Gemmell. I'm on a bit of a nostalgia trip at the moment, so I'm rereading some of the novels I read as a kid, including this one.
About to start reading: Mason & Dixon by Thomas Pynchon. It's a comic novel inspired by the survey of the Mason-Dixon Line.
Edit: since I see you like SF, have you read Stealing Light by Gary Gibson? Near future, cyberpunky affair featuring a kick-ass female protagonist.
Tiagasha exist on the edge of realities and may walk as a humans or rule the skies as dragons. They live in massive citadels, blissfully unaware of the ancient secrets of their origins.
Tirsha has discovered the truth. She has delved deep into untold histories and discovered the origins of the Tiagasha and this truth could shattered the foundations their society. The only path forward to the future is from the illumination of the past. Even if she is banished, she will bring the past to light and force her people to evolve.
But the Makra protect and guard the foundations of Tiagashan society and the Makra are watching and waiting for her to violate laws that would lead to her banishment. She mingles with lesser humans. She guides them. She heals them. She must be stopped.
But Tirsha will not stop and her journey to the truth will lead her to revelations that will destroy her world.
And to a love she thought impossible.
Available on Amazon for $6.99: r/https://www.amazon.com/When-Dragons-Speak-Paul-Latham-ebook/dp/B07GQ5FD9S
The 2nd Edition Menzoberranzan Box Set was astonishingly good for 17 year-old me. No idea how well it held up against later material (and I haven't read it in 20 years).
Try halfpricebooks.com
Look up Fire and Dust by James Gardner. Great Planescape story but author couldn't get it printed so he released it online:
http://planewalker.com/wings/archive/firedust.html
This trilogy is also awesome:
https://www.amazon.com/Blood-Hostages-Wars-Trilogy/dp/0786904739
Edit - Torment the game is excellent. Torment the book is deplorable.
Google worked for me:
https://forgottenrealms.fandom.com/wiki/Cyric
https://frc.fandom.com/wiki/Cyric
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cyric
https://www.realmshelps.net/deities/Cyric
http://petesfr.wikidot.com/the-church-of-cyric
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=d25rde_gOhc
http://www.cityofstrife.net/history.htm
https://www.amazon.com/CRUCIBLE-Forgotten-Realms-Sequel-Prince/dp/078690724X
https://forgottenrealms.fandom.com/wiki/Supreme_Throne
​
i think you might mean "The enchanted world" books series by time life books.they did all the mythology like dragons faierys ect
http://www.amazon.co.uk/Dragons-Enchanted-World-Time-Life-Books/dp/0809452081
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Enchanted_World_Series
Have you read much David Gemmell? It's been a while since I read the series but I think his rigante books would cover many of the aspects you're looking for.
http://www.amazon.co.uk/Sword-Storm-Rigante-Book-1/dp/0552142565/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1418079811&sr=8-1&keywords=Sword+In+The+Storm
It's part of one of my all time favorite series of fantasy books.
Nova Terra
Star Child
Sidenote: This is what she is selling...
My ex wife did the same damn thing...