And so, we come to Part 2 of my list of Fantasy fiction that I think everyone should read. Before I start I’ll do a quick recap of the books that appeared in Part 1;

• The Wheel of Time by Robert Jordan & Brandon Sanderson
• The Raven’s Mark series by Ed McDonald
• The Godblind Trilogy by Anna Stephens

Shall we go on? Here’s a photo of someone in a shop looking at books. You should do that too…and buy them, obviously, it’s not a damn library.

The Broken Earth Trilogy by N.K. Jemisin

I won’t lie, I very nearly gave up on this series a few chapters into the first book. Not because it wasn’t interesting or it was poorly written (it most certainly isn’t), but because some of the chapters are written in the second person perspective. It’s a perspective I had never really read, and I found it a bit difficult to get into. I persevered, however, and I’m so glad I did because this is one of the greatest works of fantasy (science-fantasy, technically) that I have ever read.

N.K Jemisin is without a doubt, one of the greatest authors in the world today.

The Broken Earth is made up of three books (funny that, as I’ve already said it’s a trilogy); The Fifth Season, The Obelisk Gate and The Stone Sky.

The series takes place on a planet with a single super-continent called the Stillness. Every few centuries, its inhabitants endure what they call a “Fifth Season” of catastrophic climate change, with various causes throughout history. The inhabitants of the world are split into different species, castes and races, with certain people and creatures with abilities to control energy, to cause and prevent earthquakes and other geological hazards. A lot of the story is about the oppression of those with these special abilities.

Oh, and every book in this series won a Hugo Award for best novel, in case you’re wondering just how good the series is. I haven’t read anything else by the author, but I fully intend to. You should too.

The Broken Empire Trilogy by Mark Lawrence

Oh, look! Another series with the word ‘broken’ in it. What’s not broken is Mark Lawrence’s ability to tell a fantastically disturbing story. The series is made up of the books Prince of Thorns, King of Thorns and Emperor of Thorns. Very prickly indeed. Or should I say, stabby. Very stabby.

This trilogy follows the rise of Jorg Ancrath, the titular Prince, King and Emperor, in a vaguely familiar setting (I won’t say much more – it’s not a spoiler, but it’s an enjoyable part of the story when you figure it out). He’s the protagonist and the story is told from his point of view. He’s also a tremendous prick and incredibly violent. Very entertaining, though.

Over the course of the books he comes into conflict with monsters, necromancers, wizards and an entity known as the Dead King. The series is a great example of the grimdark sub-genre and well worth a read.

The Licanius Trilogy by James Islington

This series has yet to be finished, with only the first two books released so far. The third is due in late 2019. The books that make it up are The Shadow of What Was Lost, An Echo of Things to Come, and The Light of All That Falls (yet to be released).

Have you read the Wheel of Time? Did you enjoy it? Yes? You’ll love this.

The world of the Licanius Trilogy is a masterclass in world building, with a great magic system and history. The gist of the story is that magic users used to rule the world, but were overthrown years before the events of the first novel, leading them to become nothing more than tools and slaves. Against this backdrop, an ancient immortal evil is trying to break magical barriers and release his dark god on the world – or so some would have you believe. The story follows some of these magic users and a young man with amnesia as they quest across an ever stranger and dangerous world, pursued by demons and immortal beings. Sounds like typical fantasy, but I really am doing it a disservice with my simplistic description – the plot is a lot more complex and interesting than that. Just read it, okay?

And there we have it…the end of Part 2. Until next time, happy reading.