Book Recommendations!: Home

Did you know Stephen King wrote high fantasy? Fans of It and The Shining should check out the Dark Tower series. The first book is named for the protagonist of the series, Roland of Gilead, a.k.a the Gunslinger. These books combine fantasy and western tropes to create a mood all their own. Librarian note: you might find that the first Dark Tower book is a little slow! Book 2 picks up a bit.

This series is an absolute classic of the genre, perfect for Lord of the Rings fans. The 14 book series follows hero Rand and allies, as they fight against dark forces and political machinations. This series has everything: prophecies, magic, good vs. evil, enchanted forests, battles, shape-shifting...read it before the Amazon TV adaptation is released!

The first book in the Kingkiller Chronicle is a high fantasy coming-of-age story, all about Kvothe a legendary wizard. He tells the story of his life, how he came into his magic power and later became an infamous fugitive. This series is still in progress, read the first one now and join the many Rothfuss fans waiting impatiently for a third book.

The Old Kingdom book series, eerie and unforgettable, is still wonderfully unique decades after it was written. In these books, Death is a place, and Neuromancers can raise the dead to do their bidding Sabriel's father is an Abhorsen, tasked with putting the dead to rest, until he disappears beyond the Seventh Gate. Sabriel must follow in her father's footsteps and continue the fight against the Neuromancer who would destroy the living world.

Fans of Six of Crows should check out the Shadow and Bone trilogy, set in Ravka, a kingdom what is unfortunately surrounded by the Shadow Fold, a terrible dark wilderness full of people eating monsters. The heroine, Alina, has magical ability that could save the kingdom, but only if she can survive the machinations of Ravka's other magicians.

In the same way the Harry Potter series morphed slowly from a children's book to a sprawling fantasy series, the Queen's Thief series develops a complicated, rich world. These books are set in fantasy-version Ancient Greece, and the hero is the clever Eugenides, who thinks he can steal anything. In these fantastic novels, nothing is what it seems. Librarian note: these are Ms. Friedlander's favorite books!