[–] Citizen_Kong ago
Since some of my favourites have already been mentioned, I'll add the Rivers of London series by Ben Aaronovitch. It's quite a lot like The Dresden Files, in that it combines detective mysteries and the supernatural, only with a very British touch. Oh, and the main character is black without that fact being constantly part of the plot, I found that very refreshing.
[–] trollers 0 points 3 points 3 points (+3|-0) ago
I truly enjoy the first two books in the Kingkiller Chronicles by Patrick Rothfuss. I've found it's a true challenge for a fantasy writer to be both descriptive and engaging, yet Rothfuss does so flawlessly. The only downside is waiting for the third book to be released.
[–] deviantdreamer 0 points 1 point 1 point (+1|-0) ago
If you ever get a chance, go see him speak in person. It's rather epic. His writing is hands down some of my favorite.
[–] BlastedToMoosh ago
Piers Anthony's The Magic of Xanth series kept me company for a large portion of my youth, and I definitely recommend it for young adults.
[–] BlastedToMoosh ago
I read them in 1995-99 when I was in 3rd-6th grade. A lot of stuff went over my head but towards the end there things were starting to click.
[–] noplastersaint ago
I have two that I keep going back to: The Three Musketeers universe by Dumas and the Legacy of the Aldenata series by Ringo. I save Dumas for cold winter days and Ringo for summer-time poolside fun. Been through both at least 3 times now, probably more than 5 for Ringo since they are such a quick read.
[–] RayLomas 0 points 3 points 3 points (+3|-0) ago
Hard to decide. I'm leaning towards Dune series by Frank Herbert (definitely not continuations by his son, Brian). It's great, but requires a lot of focus and attention.
God Emperor Of Dune is my favourite of the series, although, it takes time to like it. The first book - Dune is probably the most accessible.
First 50 pages are merely an introduction, to get you to start grasping the universe where the whole thing is taking place. Dune actually has a lot of action, which unfolds quickly, once the "intro" part is over, but you need to get to at least 60% of the book before you start to see amazing things.
I remember that when I was ~18 I struggled with Dune, and dropped it. Later started once again when I was 25, and in one month binge-reading episode I've finished the whole series (6 books, ~2-2.5k pages) during less than 1 month.
It's a pretty similar thing to what I remember from the Lord Of The Rings... first pages about Hobbiton, Bilbo, Bilbo's party is boring as hell, but serve a great purpose of introducing you to the completely alien universe. Unlike LOTR, though, I would advise you not to try to make sense of everything you read, not to memorize terms and characters - it's pointless and distracts you from bigger concepts. Dune universe is very strange (hell... sci-fi, space flight and interplanetary wars without computers, who'd think of that in any sci-fi?) so it's perfectly fine to not understand a lot of things. Later, either after rereading, or getting a "woah!" moment when thinking about during a shower, it'll start to fall into place.
Another reason to read and love it, is that this whole book serves a great motivating purpose, at least for me. Some of my favourite quotes:
[–] confidence ago
City of Ember. I think I have read the entire series at least 3 times