My absolute favourites remain Lord of the Rings and then Riftwar and Serpentwar Saga by Raymond E. Feist. But I think they are household names for fantasy readers so in this page I’m going to focus on the other fantasy and non-fantasy work that I love or like to a great extent (4 or 5 stars reads). There is no preference order to the books I list here but I group them by fantasy versus non-fantasy and the list is mainly for avid fantasy readers.
Fantasy
A Gathering of Ravens
Made-over orcs, Norse myth and Tolkienesque lore richness. Completely sucked in.
River of Stars
Authentic Chinese fantasy from a Western author, from won over Chinese reader
Black Jewels trilogy
Dark fantasy at its best: no cheap thrills. Males beware though, might be uncomfortable reading
The Demonwars Saga 1
This is the work for which Salvatore earned my respect: before that I was pretty meh with his writing. A fresh angle from the the normal epic/sword& sorcery fantasy I had been reading and thought provoking.
Thursday Next Series
Ubran fantasy? So its own thing that I found it hard to categorise in genre. Fun, lighthearted and novel concepts that would appeal to all bookworms.
Non-fantasy
Enchanted
Fantasy-esque prose and dark material conveyed without excessive sentimentality= enchanted reader= me
Taiko
An epic tale for readers with epic tastes. Beautifully translated work that woo me with its language.
Shadows&Strongholds
Coming of age story, as good in bringing me away from reality as a fantasy story
Brother Cadfael
Historical mystery showcasing the dark side of a cloister life
Sister Fidelma Series
Historical mystery showcasing the ancient Irish intersection of politics, religion and murder
Moonlake's Fiction Space 