The scene in Moria when Gandalf says

“Let me risk a little more light.” As his introduces Dwarrowdelf to the fellowship.

Ugh… absolutely flawless and so so good, makes me cry every time and it fills me with that sense of wonder and mythic awe that I come to fantasy for, a feeling that I’m getting less and less as the years go on. As wonder is being quickly replaced by systematic and scientific “magic”.

Anyway.. I consider it to be the best fantasy film ever made, even better than the two follow-ups. Fellowship had an emotional richness and a deeper sense of wonder that is severely lacking in… well… every other epic fantasy adaptation ever made.

Why did Fellowship turn out so well and everything else just seems terrible by comparison? Are we doomed to never get its equal?

Criteria:

1.	Publication Date:

If it’s a series, the majority of volumes must be published after 1999. (So series like The Wheel of Time or The Chronicles of Thomas Covenant don’t qualify.)

2.	Epic Fantasy Only:

High stakes, secondary worldbuilding, large-scale conflict, and a broad cast of characters are key.

3.	No Rediscovered Old Works:

Books originally published before 2000 that only became popular after the fact (e.g., a forgotten 1980s gem that went viral recently) do not count.

4.	Standalones Are Welcome:

As long as they meet the scope and feel of epic fantasy.

5.	Explanation Required:

Don’t just list titles—explain why you believe it deserves future-classic status.

⸻

WINNERS

•	Malazan Book of the Fallen – Steven Erikson & Ian C. Esslemont 


•	Realm of the Elderlings – Robin Hobb


•	A Song of Ice and Fire – George R.R. Martin


•	The Broken Earth Trilogy – N.K. Jemisin


•	Guy Gavriel Kay’s post-2000 works


•	The Second Apocalypse – R. Scott Bakker


• …

I don’t often dnf a book, but when I do, I have a lot of thoughts that I need to get out. So here it is…

Priory of the Orange Tree has been on my tbr for a long time. I heard that is a high fantasy with lesbians and dragons. I love all three, so I thought it would be a hit. Alas, it was a miss. The pacing was too slow. The world building (particularly with the eastern countries) was a sloppy mess. I didn’t like Sabran. I felt little to no chemistry between Ead and Sabran, which for eventual love interests for one another, I should feel SOMETHING between those two by 100 pages in. Worst of all, the book was a chore to read.

It is so clear that the “east” in this book is supposed to represent a fictionalized Asia. But it was so badly done. I feel like the author just read that dragons were/are worshiped in Asia, and did no further research. I could go on a long rant about the world building, but I’ll just say that the author used a lot of words to …

I started the thread yesterday about the opposite, fantasy series that decline with each book. So now it’s time for some positivity. What are some great fantasy/sci-fi series that get better and better with each book? For example, I have not read it yet, but heard some amazing praise for Empire Trilogy by Janny Wurts and Reimond Feist. Any other similar works of concentrated and consistent quality?

Like a lot of people, Brandon Sanderson was the author who pulled me deep into fantasy. I adored the original Mistborn trilogy when it came out – it felt so original at the time: the ash-covered world, the clever magic system, the idea of starting where most fantasy ends. It was tight, fresh, and full of momentum.

Then came Stormlight. I fell hard for Way of Kings and Words of Radiance. Kaladin’s journey – grounded in trauma, leadership, and identity – was powerful and human in a way I hadn’t experienced before. And Oathbringer was a high point for me, thematically rich and emotionally satisfying.

But somewhere along the way, that spark faded.

I didn’t realise how much until I picked up The Will of the Many by James Islington. Like the Red Rising trilogy by Pierce Brown, it hits the ground running and doesn’t let up. The narrative has a sharpness to it – each chapter ends with tension, each new scene escalates the stakes, and there’s this constant drive that makes it almost …

More than 30 books were removed from libraries and classrooms, including “The Bluest Eye,” “Slaughterhouse-Five,” “The Kite Runner,” “Brave New World,” “The Handmaid’s Tale” and “Night.”

The school board accepted the settlement during its regular meeting on Monday. The education union agreed to drop the lawsuit and did not seek any financial damages. 

Honestly nothing against it, just seeing it everywhere now. And while I normally might not think twice, now due to the prevalence of this structure, by default I now eyeroll every time I see it.

Blurb: It’s 1900, and a character does a thing. Years later, it’s 1947, and another character does another thing. It’s 1999, and something happens to a character. It’s 2050, climate change has destroyed earth, and a character does something. Here’s how they’re all connected.

Some examples: The new Ian McEwan book Greenwood Horse North woods Overstory Cloud cuckoo land Sea of tranquility

Again, nothing against it, north woods is in my top 5 books all time. But it seems as though it’s starting to gain traction with publishers because of the intrigue of connection across generations and now it’s being artificially pushed. I’m afraid that we might begin to see authors get away with rushed POVs loosely connected by some ‘thing’ that gives the impression of an intricately connected tale when it’s …

Finally got around to reading… er… listening to Wizard of Earthsea. Extemely good. Less than 10 minutes in I was like, fuck, who is this narrator, he’s breathing extra life into this book and… it was Harlan Ellison? I have no mouth, and I must scream Harlan Ellison??

He takes the narration in a very different direction. It’s like you’re sitting by a campfire, and a riveting old man is telling you a legendary story. Fantastic changes of pacing. I can’t get over it. I need to discuss this with someone. I checked out the reviews and so many say his narration style ruined it and they are extemely wrong, his performance was exactly what this story needed.

Ok. That’s it. Go listen and if you’ve listened PLEASE share your thoughts!

SO

I’m in the ²⁄₃ of the book, i enjoyed every single page from the beggining and now everything is going insane

What a book

I saw a lot of people saying that the reading is boring etc.. but man its a freaking masterpiece Cant wait to read more

So i was wondering, the others books are as good as the first one?

Please remember that im only at the ²⁄₃ of the book so dont spoil me anything :)

Im a reader of Science Fiction for 45 years now, of course it was on and off over this long period, but “recently” (pls forgive me i live behind the moon in one of the “forest cities” in Austria :D ) i realized that there is a genius move into other genres as well like Weird Fiction. That’s of course as “soft” as it gets but it makes a fantastic reading experience (also 20 years ago i decided to read every novel possible in english language). Currently reading “The Gone-Away-World” by Nick Harkaway and even it is very complex it makes unbelievable pictures and stories in my brain. I love it so much and have also bought “Gnomon”.

So i would kindly ask for other recs in this way - with complex plot, quality writing, genre-bending. Like Sue Burke, Zachary Mason, Peter Wattys, Ian Mcdonald, Tom Sweterlitsch, Kameron Hurley. Of course it can also be from a queer or trans standpoint - Kameron Hurley for example defines …

While it had some interesting ideas, the actual writing in Three-Body just didn’t impress me. After looking around, I found that many Chinese sci-fi readers had the same issues with the original text, and I’m hoping someone can point me in the right direction. I’m wondering if there are any other significant works translated to English from Chinese that might be more literary, or include just better character work in general. I’m looking for full length novels. For example, I loved Stanislaw Lem’s: Solaris, which was translated from Polish. It retained some excellent prose and serious heart, but also some really mind-blowing concepts.

I’d really like to expand my horizons a bit by exploring lesser known, or at least underrated, Chinese Sci-Fi authors. Thanks!

The Nebulas are out, unfortunately no real Sci-Fi. We got lots of fantasy, romance, etc… I crave some good scifi, can we post what the best hard scifi from the last years is?

Not going to go into the critical aspects or controversial portrayals in this movie. Simply appreciating the tranquility and charm that the film has managed to portray of the japanese culture and the scenes of the beautiful, beautiful countryside. Also Cruise did a pretty fantastic job in this movie if you ask me.