A Blog of All Things Science Fiction and Fantasy

Monday, July 4, 2011

Fantasy Books for Beginners

     Beginning to read books in the fantasy genre is a daunting task for newcomers. They have to wade  through 1000 pg behemoths and bookstores filled with subpar literary messes. This guide is meant to help new readers slowly become acclimated to the fantasy genre so they are not turned off from reading other books in the fantasy genre.



1.The Hobbit (J.R.R Tolkien)
 Tolkien did something wonderful when he wrote the Hobbit, he created a novel that is not to complicated for newcomers, but can still appeal to the fantasy veterans. The Hobbit is relatively short (320 pages) for a fantasy novel which is perfect for those just starting out. I personally recommend  reading the Hobbit before the Lord of the Rings trilogy so that you can get use to the writing style that Tolkien uses.







2.Harry Potter (J.K Rowling)
The Harry potter series is a great place to start for new fantasy readers. The first three books in the series are less than 400 pages each are very lighthearted. The last four books are entirely different and dark behemoths with large page counts(600+) and darker stories, but Rowling does a great job of easing the reader from book to book




3.Elantris (Brandon Sanderson)
Elantris is a lesser known title from the fantasy author Brandon Sanderson (link to my review). Elantris is a good introduction to the genre because it has a great magic system and is a standalone title so you do not have to wade through a large series.








4.The Pendragon Series (D.J Machale)
The Pendragon series is a great series for newcomers. The first four books in the series have less than 400 pages and have a interesting plot. Even though I have read a lot of books since the Pendragon series, I am impressed by how it is able to maintain its quality in my mind.

4 comments:

CameronHarris1 said...

If you have any more questions, or want more suggestions, please do not hesitate to ask.

Tiimboslice said...

Ah I remember the Pendragon series. I agree with you, they are great. I enjoyed reading them waaay back in junior high.

CameronHarris1 said...

Ha hey Tim. I think the pendragon series is the best young adult fantasy. Way better than harry potter.

CameronHarris1 said...

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