Fantasy
SERIES:
The Stormlight Archive
by Brandon Sanderson
This is a fairly new series by Brandon Sanderson, and it is still being written. It seems to be my curse to fall in love with series that are forever in development. That said, this is very much in the vein of Robert Jordan: the books are roughly 25 hours long, so unless you’re an audio book consumer like myself, be prepared to have your reading cut out for you for several months. The author does a fantastic job coming up with a new type of “magic” and world with its own physics and rules of engagement. The intertwining stories are absolutely fascinating, and I highly recommend reading this series if you love fantasy.
SERIES:
Incarnations of Immortality
by Piers Anthony
Another series that I began in high school, and thankfully it was complete before I left college. While Piers Anthony does have some fairly antiquated beliefs, and they are on display in these books, that doesn’t take away the enjoyment of the story for me. These books deal with very real concepts such as Death, Fate, Time, etc. They do an interesting job of explaining these concepts while keeping the reader entertained. Definitely worth a read, if you can get past some of the outdated sentiments that might outrage your modern sensibilities.
SERIES:
The Bone Witch
by Rin Chupeco
Another fairly new fantasy series with an interesting twist on magic, beasts, and society. The story is told in a non-linear fashion, and I am sucker for this narrative style. The author does such a great job of explaining the world and society without making it feel like she’s giving a lesson. There are none of those strange moments of, “This conversation sounds stilted, as if the character is aware of the reader.” The story itself is compelling, fun, and I devoured it very quickly. I will definitely read this series again.