best modern fantasy books
The fantasy genre is a highly sought after type of literature. It is easy to read, captivating and ‘unlike’ our mundane experiences. Since Tolkien’s The Lord of the Rings, the scene has changed a lot and a new style emerged that left dragons and dungeons in the dark and focused on the more mundane aspects of life, although everything takes place in a world of fancy.
1. The First Law by Joe Abercrombie
This one takes the cherry. It is a harsh and brutal tale of war and conspiracy set in a fantasy world where there is no good hero. But a bad one, for that matter. If you like happy endings and knights in shining armor, this is not for you. Abercrombie’s writing is a lot like life in the real world: unfair, brutal, and unpredictable. Foul language, extremely well-rendered blood and gore, and near-perfect writing make this the best trilogy I’ve read yet. It is definitely modern.
2. A Song of Ice and Fire, by George RR Martin
You may be familiar with this one as HBO has made a TV series called Game Of Thrones based on it. Like the one mentioned above, this one is quite heavy. No good deed goes unpunished, you could say about it. Very elaborate, very complex and extremely long. You will get to live in it, really. Very little magic appears, which is good, most characters die, which is less good. Don’t get attached to the characters, you will lose them at some point.
3. Chronicles of the Black Company, by Glen Cook
This one is smoother. It depicts the adventures of the Black Company, a gang of mercenaries who roam the world in various stages of employment. It’s more of a chronicle than a movie, so there aren’t a lot of elaborately staged fights. The plot focuses heavily on intrigue, and various viewpoints give a much broader appreciation of the story. It has nine books, but it is not as long as the aforementioned saga. And obviously, it has nothing to do with dragons. However, it does present some fine points of magic. The characters are very vivid and there is nothing too good or too bad. It is mainly a story about surviving and going back to the roots, where the main character is not just one person, but the Black Company itself.