Source
r/Fantasy•
PowerLord

Reading suggestions similar to ASOIAF, Kingkiller, LotR, Witcher (the game), the Licanius trilogy, or others with immersive worldbuilding and good character development.

Title says it all; looking for recommendations for books with immersive worldbuilding and decent character development. I really loved how I could really imagine the world, thr magic system, the characters, the scenery, even the culture and taverns in all of those.

Have tried Brandon Sanderson’s Mistborn but couldn’t get into it due to feeling flat and the fact that it’s a heist story.

Bonus points if there’s a good audible version! I ride the train a lot.

I really appreciate any recommendations.

Posted Apr 30, 2019, 9:41 PM UTC

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NachoFailconi•

Obligatory post: try Malazan Book of the Fallen! It has everything what you're looking for!

10
dydamas•

Have you tried the Stormlight Archives by Brandon Sanderson?

9
LordOfSwans•

Robin Hobb's Farseer books have excellent characters and good audio books.

I think you might enjoy Miles Cameron's Traitor Son and also Brian Staveley's Unhewn Throne. All with great audio books, good characters and good worldbuilding.

9
FloarJK•

I feel bad that you dropped Mistborn one of the best sagas and intriguing worlds out there. In the end it has nothing to do with the heist at the beginning of book 1. Without any spoilers here I wish you to resume on the serie. Would also recommend Stormlight Archive series and every single other Sanderson book.

Brent Week's Lightbringer saga is one of my favorites so far. Really liked the magic system and plot. Week's other saga the Night Anger Trilogy was great and a bit different darker fantasy.

And of course there is Malazan books and Wheel of Time but there probably were the first things you got after the first googling.

Malazan had been absolutely fantastic so far(listening on book6). Small warning though it is hard serie to start, bit struggle to read the first half of book 1. So many different small things left unexplained that tie in along the series it was hard to keep track as an audiobook. Especially when listening and you aren't at 100% focus. Malazan wiki has great chapter by chapter recaps.

About Wheel of Time, just do it.

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HalcyonDaysAreGone•

Obvious suggestion would seem to be the Witcher books if you haven't tried them. Having played the games you have a helping hand in imaging people and places.

Otherwise, two series that were vivid for me were the Ancestor series by Mark Lawrence and the Kushiel series by Jacqueline Carey. Both very different stories and writing styles, but both to me were very easy to vividly imagine the worlds, magic, and people. Can't speak to the quality of the audiobooks though, don't use them myself.

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quicknin•

Memory, Sorrow, and Thorn by Tad Williams

I will warn you the first book starts off pretty slow but it is a great series. I am on the last book now and really enjoy it. I am listening to it so I can also recommend the audio book version.

3
communistpig69•

Blood Song by Anthony Ryan is a good read

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Alkoviak•

Wheel of time, the audiobook are amazing

2
ef_miller•

John Gwynne’s Faith and the Fallen series.

1
guledm•

The Witcher short stories are amazing. The novels are pretty good as well. The night watch series by that Russian author are also fantastic. Just something different you might try.

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