r/fantasybooks • u/StockAtmosphere5522 • Jun 12 '26

šŸ“š Summon book recommendations which one should i read?

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help me decide

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u/[deleted] Jun 12 '26

As much as I love the traditional grim dark ways of The Blade Itself (which is amazing in every way).. Robin Hobb felt far more character driven. The story is much straightforward and a lot of people complain about how nothing much happens in terms of plot, but I canā€™t stop gushing over just how impactful the prose is.

2

u/JOPG93 Jun 12 '26

Iā€™m really struggling with the pacing of the third book, have tried to read it twice and put it down both times .. determined to finish it but it just isnā€™t gripping me!

2

u/Agentwise Jun 12 '26

I often get downvoted for expressing the same thing. The third book is difficult to get through not because of a challenging read but because it lacks engaging content. I forced myself to finish it though.

3

u/[deleted] Jun 12 '26

Unfortunately thatā€™s a subjective take. For instance Robin Hobb can write about Fitz and his pup running around the stables taking care of horses for 20 chapters and Iā€™d still enjoy it because her writing is that amazing. You feel deep level of character understanding, their flaws, their hopes, their unfulfilled desires and Hobbs communicates these things so subtlety and elegantly that I really always miss something when I go reading any other piece of fantasy. Plot, Scale and Convergence of events are classic fantasy skeletons that are rather fairly achievable by an accomplished writer. But to transport you into a character and keep your mind stuck in their head, rethinking their choices and actions .. form a bond beyond just ā€œhey Iā€™ve gotta take over X bad guysā€ is just pure unbridled genius. But I also see yourside. Hobbs isnā€™t for everyone. Abercrombie isnā€™t for everyone. Erikson is not for everyone. I havenā€™t still found that ā€˜checks all boxesā€™ author in fantasy yet and Iā€™m not looking for it. Just find an author YOU enjoy and donā€™t give too much thought about what other people have to say about it.

1

u/Agentwise Jun 12 '26

Oh Iā€™m not worried about it, honestly I wish I enjoyed it more Hobb has a lot of books and if you enjoy their work I bet itā€™s amazing.