So, for the longest time all I've read are reference books- I used to be crazy keen on memoirs and facts and figures, so I spent alot of time reading those and snubbing most if not all fiction material other than a few choice Steven King novels like Rose Madder and Christine.

However, I want to start expanding my horizons a bit- while I still love ref. books and non-fiction, sometimes I do just want to fall into a fantasy world.

So, does anyone have any recommendations? I used to read alot of thrillers before my non-fiction binge, but I wouldn't mind a few fantasy titles either. I'm 25, so some more adult fantasy titles would be appreciated if there is any.

How about Lord of the Rings, if you've not tried that? ;D

Originally Posted by Iroase Delschatten

How about Lord of the Rings, if you've not tried that? ;D

Sadly that's one of the one's I did read before my big NF kick- I read all the Tolkiens and as far into the HP series as I wanted to.

Thanks for the suggestion though

Oh, well darned.
Because you mentioned you were keen on memoirs, facts and figures, that was the first series that immediately popped into my mind. Tolkien has something like that way of writing.

Have you read any of Terry Pratchett's works?

It's probably a common suggested, but Harry Potter has been a huge hit, and with good reason. I also picked up the Hunger Games trilogy and finished all 3 books in one week. And as suggested before, try the Hobbit and Lord of the Rings.
A friend of mine has also wrote her own novel, and it's amazing. Look up Personal Demons by Ruthie Hanson.
One of my favorite musicians also has a novel. Look up Adventures of Sha'kona. It's awesome.

I'm going to do what I always do and suggest Robin Hobb. Her Realm of the Elderlings series is set in a fantastically well developed world, and a lot of the chapters are prefaced with excerpts from "history" books, set in the world. It's really cool, and a favourite series of mine.

Originally Posted by Iroase Delschatten

Oh, well darned.
Because you mentioned you were keen on memoirs, facts and figures, that was the first series that immediately popped into my mind. Tolkien has something like that way of writing.

Have you read any of Terry Pratchett's works?

I have indeed read most of Terry Pratchetts works and I'm especially fond of Discworld. Thanks for reminding me of the series and I definitely need to see what new ones he's bought out since I stopped reading them. Pretty sure I stopped at 'The Wee Free Men'.

Originally Posted by no u shuddup

It's probably a common suggested, but Harry Potter has been a huge hit, and with good reason. I also picked up the Hunger Games trilogy and finished all 3 books in one week. And as suggested before, try the Hobbit and Lord of the Rings.
A friend of mine has also wrote her own novel, and it's amazing. Look up Personal Demons by Ruthie Hanson.
One of my favorite musicians also has a novel. Look up Adventures of Sha'kona. It's awesome.

I did have a soft spot for the Harry Potter series up until book five- for some reason the fifth just put me off the rest of the series. I'll probably read the other two at some point, but for now I'll give HP a miss.

I'll definitely look up Personal Demons, and Adventures of Sha'kona sounds familiar- which musician wrote the book?

Originally Posted by Bearzy

I'm going to do what I always do and suggest Robin Hobb. Her Realm of the Elderlings series is set in a fantastically well developed world, and a lot of the chapters are prefaced with excerpts from "history" books, set in the world. It's really cool, and a favourite series of mine.

Ahh Realm of Enderlings- I've always heard good things about the series, though I admit for a while I gave them a miss thanks to a friend who (I found out later) ripped off most if not all the entire series to create a dire RP campaign. The story didn't make it dire, just the DM.

I'll definitely give them a look though, thanks for the recommendation!

Another one, that I forgot about earlier, is Brandon Sanderson. If you've heard of Wheel of Time, he's the guy that took over after Robert Jordan passed away. I'm not a huge fan of that series, but Sanderson's Mistborn trilogy is one I read recently and absolutely loved. Again, fantastic worldbuilding.

Originally Posted by Axenblade

I'll definitely look up Personal Demons, and Adventures of Sha'kona sounds familiar- which musician wrote the book?

Adventures of Sha'kona was written by Jana Mashonee, who has 3 albums, including a Christmas album.

All I seem to know off the top of my head are fantasy novels, so I apologize in advance. OTL

Since you said you read a bit of King, why not try his Dark Tower series (assuming you haven't already)?

And I can't suggest A Song of Ice and Fire by G. R. R. Martin enough. The first book, at least, is a damn masterpiece. The second and third books drag a bit, but things eventually pick up with the fourth book.

Another good series is The Chronicles of Thomas Covenant by Stephen R. Donaldson. It's composed of two trilogies iirc, and both are pretty solid books. It's about a leper that is forced into becoming the hero of an alternate Earth and basically wants none of it. xD

Also, if you don't mind someone taking every fantasy cliché known to man and writing a good book series out of them, then I would suggest the Belgariad series.

You could try the Inheritance Cycle. Also this isn't much fantasy and is a pretty easy read, but Guardians of Ga' Hoole series is a good one despite being about owls. It's "directed" towards younger audiences, at least if you look for it in the library, but it's actually got some dark themes to it, and is an interesting adventure, and somewhat educational. Also while in the children's section, its a really good read is the Underland Chronicles, which the author is the same as the Hunger Games. It has a very interesting world in it, and actually isn't concentrative on romance, but rather the adventure and family in a way.