Top Ten Books I Would Give to People Who Have Never Read Fantasy
10:24
I have to admit, I am a massive fan of fantasy. Most of the
books I borrow from the library are fantasy, and a lot of the books on my
bookshelves are too. So when I saw that the topic for this week’s Top Ten
Tuesday, a weekly link-up hosted by TheBroke and the Bookish, was the top ten books I would give to someone who
had never read (X), I instantly knew my list was going to be about books for
readers who have never read fantasy. This was definitely an easy list to write
this week.
1. Ella
Enchanted
Gail Carson Levin
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Ella Enchanted
would make a great first book for people who have never read fantasy. It’s
based on a familiar fairy tale, which would make understanding it easier, it’s
funny, which always helps, and the book is quirky and full of amazing
characters. It definitely shows off the lighter, more humorous side of fantasy.
2. Ranger’s
Apprentice
John Flanagan
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For younger readers especially, the Ranger’s Apprentice
books would be a really good place to get a start on fantasy. They’re not too
heavy on the fantasy details, so new readers won’t get overloaded, the settings
are quite familiar (being based on real countries), but there’s still enough
fantasy in both the world and the creatures in it to ease new readers into the
fantasy genre.
3. Eragon
Christopher
Paolini
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I have to confess, I’m not actually a big fan of this book,
despite being an avid fantasy reader. However, I know that a lot of people have
really enjoyed this book, so new readers can make up their own minds on this
book. It does have dragons, and every reader new to fantasy should meet the
dragons as soon as they possibly can.
4. Dreamtreaders
Wayne
Thomas Batson
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This book shows another side to the fantasy genre: books
that are set in the real world with the main character travelling to another
world. It’s also set both in the real world, and in the world of dreams, which
I think is absolutely awesome. It’s very creative, and very well written, and
would make a great first fantasy book for new readers.
5. Wildwood
Dancing
Juliet Marillier
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This is another fairy tale retelling, which is a sub-genre I
like very much, and it shows off the whimsical, pretty side of the fantasy
genre. Everything about this book speaks of the elegance and grace of fantasy. Plus
it has fairies and a talking frog, and those notorious bargains that are to be
found everywhere in fantasy books.
6. Percy
Jackson
Rick Riordan
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This series is an excellent one for new fantasy readers. It’s
set in the real world, in a country that most readers will be fairly familiar
with. Oh yeah, and it just so happens to have the ancient Greek Gods wandering
around in modern day America. Which is kind of awesome. This book is so much
fun, and doesn’t have absolutely masses of world building, so it would make a
great first book for people new to fantasy.
7. The
Seer and the Sword
Victoria Hanley
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This book has been a favourite of mine for quite a long
time. It’s got a fantasy world, a girl who can see the future, and a love story
that even I, who isn’t a big reader of romance, can enjoy. This one has a whole
cast of awesome characters as well. This isn’t heavy reading, so it would be an
easy book for new readers to read, and it’s full of awesome adventures. What’s
not to like?
8. The
Raven Boys
Maggie Stiefvater
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This is an amazing book (and it may have already features in
more than one Top Ten Tuesday in the past). While it’s a fantasy book, it’s
also set in the real world, and the fantasy elements are woven in so well that
they don’t feel heavy handed at all. Plus the characters, the plot and the
details are all so well written that this book is riveting. Even if you’re not
new to fantasy, you should read this book.
9. The
Hobbit
J.R.R. Tolkien
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This book is probably not the best first book for a brand new reader of fantasy to start with. But it’s a very fun book, and definitely the easiest of all Tolkien's books to read. It shows off what a writer can really do with a fantasy world if
they want to. Tolkien is a master of world building, and he’s pretty good with
the fantasy races as well. While it’s best not to read this book as your very first
fantasy book, it’s still well worth reading.
10. The
Lion the Witch and the Wardrobe
C. S. Lewis
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How could I end this list without adding one of the most famous
fantasy books of all time? This is still one of the best fantasy books out
there, and it’s an excellent place for any reader new to fantasy to start. It’s
got everything, magic, new worlds, fantasy creatures, an epic quest to stop an
evil villain, and even travelling between worlds (which wasn’t cliché back
then.) This book is definitely a good place to start.
Which of these books have you read? What book would you recommend to someone who had never read fantasy before? And link my to your Top Ten Tuesday Posts. I'd love to see what books you're recommending this week.
26 comments
Yes, yes and yes to Ella Enchanted! That is definitely one of my favorites!
ReplyDeleteIt's a fantastic book isn't it? I'd love to see the movie sometime too. Thanks for stopping by!
DeleteBe warned about the movie ... it doesn't follow the book at all!
DeleteThanks for the warning. I'll keep that in mind. Some movies deviate from the book well, and some are terrible. I hope this is one of the good ones!
DeleteI've been hearing a lot about The Ranger's Apprentice series. I really should read it! Also, Dream Treaders has such a beautiful cover.
ReplyDeleteThe cover of Dreamtreaders is the most beautiful cover I've seen recently. It's completely awesome! You should definitely have a go at The Ranger's Apprentice books. The first three or four are my favourites out of all the books. It's pretty cool.
DeleteI love Ella Enchanted! I can't wait to read some books by Maggie Stiefvater. I hear such great things!
ReplyDeleteI'd never heard of her books before a book blogger recommended them. Now I recommend them to everyone. They're so amazing. The Raven Cycle are my personal favourites, but the others are pretty good too. I'm looking forward to reading more of her books in the future myself. Thanks for visiting!
DeleteI loved all the books on this list that I read! The Seer and the Sword I didn't know, but it looks amazing.
ReplyDeleteI picked fantasy for my TTT, too!
I loved the books on your list. So many good ones I forgot or didn't have space to add. The Seer and the Sword is a really great book and if you get the chance to, I would recommend trying it. It's been my favourite for ages.
DeleteGreat list! So many of the books on your list have gorgeous covers - especially Dreamtreaders and The Seer and the Sword. :) I really want to read The Raven Boys, and it's something of a relief to come across another fan of fantasy who isn't all that fond of Eragon!
ReplyDeleteI do love books with beautiful cover, but Dreamtreaders is truly breathtaking. I have to admit, I was quaking in my shoes a little admitting that. So many people love that book so much, but I just couldn't get into it. So glad to finally meet someone else who doesn't particularly like Eragon!
DeleteFantasy! I've read a lot of these and just added the rest to my tbr! =)
ReplyDeleteFantasy is such a popular genre I'm sure most people ave at least tried it, but there are still so many good books to recommend. I'm glad i could add to your tbr list. Thanks for visiting.
DeleteEragon was a great book and I loved The Inheritance Cycle. I'd like to read Ella Enchanted and the Raven Boys. Thanks for the other suggestions.
ReplyDeleteI am ashamed to admit that I never finished The Inheritance Cycle when I tried it, though I did love the dragons. It's truly pitiful for a reader who loves fantasy as much as I do. Maybe I should give it another go some time and actually finish it. I do love to share my favourite books with people, so I'm glad I could recommend some books to you.
DeleteMy list was about fantasy too, but I haven't read most of these. The Raven Boys is the one I've got my eye on. I've heard only good things about it. My TTT:http://givemethebooks.blogspot.com/2014/08/top-10-tuesday-books-i-recommend-for.html
ReplyDeleteHappy Tuesday :)
I can highly recommend The Raven Boys too. It is a truly amazing book, and every fantasy reader should try it in my opinion (though I could be a little biased considering how much I like it). Thanks for visiting!
DeleteYour list is so awesome! I just love the genre of fantasy and I also love so many of the books on your list. Especially The Hobbit. Sometimes I feel like it does not get enough love because it's counterparts are a little bit intimidating.
ReplyDeleteI agree with you. Many people won't try it because the other books are harder to read. Honestly though, out of the trilogy and The Hobbit, I love The Hobbit the best. It's more lighthearted and so much easier to read. More people really should give it a go.
DeleteI haven't read The Daughters of Smoke and Bone, or The Grisha Trilogy before, though I've seen them recommended a few times. I should find them at once and read them. Thanks for the recommendations!
ReplyDeleteThe Magicians of Caprona (and any Chrestomanci books), The Whispering Mountain, The Master of Whitestorm, The Belgariad...and...wow I'm old :p
ReplyDeleteI've read a few of the Chrestomanci books, and I really enjoyed them. I don't think I've read any of the others though, so I'm definitely going to have to hunt them down. I can't wait to explore some new books! Thanks for the recommendations.
DeleteDiana Wynne Jones really is a great author, and Joan Aiken wrote such cool things as The Wolves of Willoughby Chase which was also made into a film.
DeleteI realised that while I haven't read as many of those books as I should have, I still can't remember a whole lot of really great books I read when I was young. Just recently my sister found the Weirdstone of Brisingamen by Alan Garner and I'm re-reading that for the first time...in maybe 20 years :o
It's pretty strange some of the things I used to really like, though. Some books actually displayed really good ideas, but reading them now some stuff I liked a lot actually was written very badly. Like I tried to read Spellfire recently and was pretty shocked that it was all over the place, but when I read it originally, I basically just have a bunch of constructed scenes in my head that are awesome.
I loved this post (and all of the books it mentions)! I actually haven't read 2, 4, 5, or 7, but will definitely add them to my reading list!
ReplyDeleteI'm glad I could recommend some new books to you. I'm such a big fan of fantasy, and I always love to share my favourite books with other people. Thanks for visiting my blog.
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