Discussion

David Rachau The Lord of the Rings, The Dresden Files, Stormlight Archives, Realms of the Elderlings, Mistborn, Wheel of Time, Harry Potter, The Vampire Chronicles, The Dark Tower, and Dragonlance Chronicles.

Jessica H In no particular order and I might change my mind at any given moment. The Oz books - i haven't read them since i was in elementary school, but they are lovely and whimsical and stand the test of time. The Xanth books - another classic I haven't read in forever, but again I enjoy the whimsy and world building. The Tortall books by Tamorah Pierce - ok so this includes multiple series in the same world because i can't pick just one. I do have books/ series within the world I like more than others, but that's getting too in the weeds. These books are wonderful, I always love being in this world. It's got knights, wizards, gods, monsters, spies, heroes; everything you can ask for from a fantasy series. The DFZ serieses by Rachel Aaron - again multiple serieses in the same world, but the world building in this series truly is fantastic. The magic system is so unique in this, I truly love visiting this world. Paladin's Grace by T. Kingfisher - ok I have enjoyed all the books in this world, again the author has multiple in this world but I couldn't remember the name of the serieses and this is my favorite of them all. Again, it comes down to world building for me, and in this one I really liked the characters. The idea that your god could die and then leave all the paladins just wrecked is so interesting, and the mystery of the creepy mask monster things that stretches over multiple books was so fun for me. The Soulless books by Gail Carriger and all the books in the parasolverse - she's such a funny writer, I adore her characters and the world she built is so charming. Her adult serieses as well as YA in this world are just delightful. The Wraith Kings books by Grace Draven - you might think they teeter on the edge of Romantasy, but again the world building is excellent and these aren't the low quality dreck being pushed on tiktok, these are well written books with interesting fantasy cultures and lore. Uprooted by Naomi Novik - I just loved the world with the creepy woods. Her books can be kind of hit or miss for me, but I really liked this one. I also really liked the world she created in her Scholomance books, they are a different take on the magic school that I really liked, but the last book in the series...I kind of hate it. Ok, doing this exercise made me realize how important world building is for me, because creating extensive worlds was absolutely the driving factor for me in being a "great fantasy." I deleted a bunch i liked because I dont think they qualify as the best of fantasy, just as books i like lol. I'm going to stop now, I've written too much.

Julz In no particular order: The Lion the Witch and the Wardrobe by C.S. Lewis, The Way of the Kings by Brandon Sanderson, House of Salt and Sorrows by Erin A. Craig, The Luminaries by Susan Dennard, Percy Jackson and the Lightning Thief by Rick Riordan, Harry potter by J.K. Rowling, On the Edge of the Dark Sea of Darkness by Andrew Peterson, The Chaos of Stars by Kiersten White, The invisible life of addie LaRue by V.E. Schwab, and A Forgery of Roses by Jessica Olson.

Road Master House of Salt and Sorrows, The Luminaries, the Chaos of Stars, the Invisible Life, and A a Forgery of Roses. The Wingfeather Saga is on my list. @awesome _user_Julz