I hate all modern Mythic/Fantasy stories, I won't lie bonne dame. It is why I started writing and toiling away at my universe, and fighting to return the genre back to its roots that began with stories like LOTR/Silmarillion, Hour of the Dragon and Lord Dunsany's tales.
You aren't alone dear lady, if you want recommendations I can give you some for decent fantasy hereon Substack that doesn't have nihilism and the other 'isms' so to speak and are full of traditional beautiful story-telling and values but not only that but older books that are worth the read.
It is not the Genre but those trad-pub is seeking to foist upon it that have failed you and failed all readers of Fiction! It breaks my heart to see you going through what I've gone through. You aren't alone, this is still the greatest kind of fiction ever told, and one of the oldest Genres (as it technically goes back to Gilgamesh and even Ancient Egypt) it's been through dry spells, subversion, disruptions and disaster time and again and it will keep on enduring.
It really sucks what is happening in current fantasy stories, both books and movies/tv shows. I'm glad you're combating it and I'm interested in any recommendations you have, both on Substack and in print.
This is exactly why I have long since abandoned trad pub and now read indieauthors almost exclusively. I pick up the occasional trad pub, but it's a rare thing. I mostly just study their cover art now.
Makes sense to me, it is also why I stick to older books, if they aren’t from the fantasy era from the 1910s or so to 90s then I won’t touch them (unless they’re indie of course).
So, we might not have the same tastes in fantasy, since I DNFed LOTR because life is too short to read 10 pages of dwarf names and how they are related, and I absolutely love awkward characters since I'm incurably awkward myself.
But man oh man do I agree with you! And it's not just fantasy books. Fantasy, romance, mystery, thrillers, etc. whether it's books, movies or TV shows, it's all turned grimdark. Dark themes, dark colors, morally corrupt characters, depressive motifs and general hopelessness.
I read to escape reality, not to enter a world even worse than reality. I'm having a very hard time finding anything to read or watch that doesn't leave me more miserable than when I started.
They say you should write gray characters to make them more realistic, well, I say whoever came up with that advice needs to get some new friends because none of my friends come close to being as jerky, toxic and morally corrupt as many of today's protagonists.
In a time where political correctness prevails, they sure like to romantisize toxic traits and behaviors 🤷🏻♂️
I'm all for tackling the difficult subjects, but there's nothing that says it cannot be done with hope, lightheartedness and humor. We can laugh through the tears. Most people can experience many feelings at once, tragedy doesn't have to suck everything and everyone into a black abyss of misery and keep them there forever. I'd just like some more light into my life. Make me believe the world is worth saving and that even though everything is not perfect, we can still find happiness and wonder in the little moments 🤗
100% yes! There are a lot of shows that started out fine and then they entered their dark phase and lost what made them enjoyable. A good example is Merlin; started fun and campy and then it turned dark and darker and don’t even speak to me about that ending.
Can they stop it with the gray/blue filter on everything? Forget the story, even the colors are depressing. And maybe it’s just me, but I think even soundtracks aren’t as colorful as they used to be.
I also need some lighthearted stories. Everything shouldn’t be a joke, but can these characters actually want to live and thrive and make the world a bit brighter? I don’t want to spend hours with people determined to wallow and complain. I want competent go-getters with convictions (no moral gray sludge) who are also likable and interesting.
It feels like we’re in the second Dark Ages; we are in dire need of a renaissance.
Color, sound, good characters and stories. It really shouldn’t be that hard.
I recently went back to the Harry Potter soundtracks and Prisoner of Azkaban is wild. Williams must’ve used every instrument known to man and it’s so much fun to listen to (“Hagrid the Professor” is a favorite). Then compare that to basically any new fantasy or superhero thing and it all sounds the same, or like someone fell asleep on the keyboard.
I’m a pretty slow writer, but I hope to be a part of that renaissance.
This is so me to the max! Reality is plenty grim - I want hope, heroes, people striving to be better than they are or seeking redemption, people I can look up to and admire for being good people and stories where the good guys win even in the face of terrible odds. I especially get sick of the "its not realistic that every character survives." I don't care - I don't want to spend 400 pages of a story getting to love a character only to have them die on me in the end, and even worse, have a story where its a revolving door of characters introduced only to die chapters later.
I find myself trying new books all the time but unable to get past the first chapter or so, and gravitating back to old favorites instead.
Yeeeeessssss with the endless killing of characters, it's like you are reading my mind!! I don't need reality, I've got plenty of that - give me fantasy where everyone survives against all odds 🤩
Tell me about it, I've got trust issues with the new books of today, I don't trust them with my beloved characters 🥺
There is a trend in a lot of modern fantasy (especially trad pub fantasy) that I really, really hate and I think it's part of the same reason you're struggling with reading it right now.
1) Lots of modern writing (and not just fantasy) skimp on narrative and description and everything that makes you feel immersed in favour of more action, more internal thoughts, and more dialogue, but it's hard to paint pictures with words that really pull you into that world when you skimp on these things. They don't have to be purple (though, personally, I don't mind a little purple in prose, but a little can go a long ways), but they do have to be there. It was everywhere in older fiction, but it's not as common now.
2) Another issue is that a lot of books now (again, especially trad, but not just; I see it a ton in indie as well) have an underlying agenda instead of just telling a great story. Sure, there were lessons that could be gleaned from them, morals being taught, and, yes, any writer's personal beliefs are going to show in their writing whether done deliberately or not, but you weren't being beaten over the head with 'I have this political/social/whathaveyou message to tell and you're going to hear it whether you want to or not' that feels like it's everywhere now (plus the feeling that if you don't want to hear that message of theirs that that somehow villainizes you, at least in their minds).
3) As evil men wax worse and worse, can we really be surprised by how dark books and television and movies are getting? These are dark days and only getting darker and, sadly, it's reflected in the entertainment around us.
All of these things are part of why I write fantasy/scifi the way I do. I write it how I like to read it. I typically have preferred reading young adult fantasy because trad pub adult fiction (of any genre) became so much about how much language, sex, or other graphic and even disturbing content they could get away with and less about any actual plot or worldbuilding while YA (at that time) had a greater range of creative story ideas.....until they are started doing the same thing over and over and over, got triter and more shallow in how everyone was written, and also trying to push the envelope as to how much adult 'shock' content they could include and have it still labeled as 'young adult.' I've since abandoned trad published books almost entirely having found what I like among fellow indieauthors. I want to read a good story. Whether the characters are still practically kids or great-grandparents I don't especially care, but I want a good story, good characters, and good worldbuilding (and, obviously, good writing) and I don't want to have to sift through a bunch of unnecessary junk and agendas to find it.
I agree! Well said. I like going back to older stories, ones that aren’t focused on some questionable message or twisted morals. I just want a good story with good characters, something/one to root for, and it seems like all the current trends are getting in the way of those being the popular things. Hopefully that’ll shift soon.
Loved this article, because it's exactly where I'm at. I have such a distrust for modern fantasy due to the changing style, the hyper-focus on romance (aka, "spice"), and so forth.
It's why I'm writing fantasy, honestly. I'm writing the stories I want to read, book equivalents of playing games like Final Fantasy (but knowing the main character isn't gonna die at the end in a contrived hero's sacrifice). Plus, I get to inject elements of my faith into the character arcs, so win-win!
I really liked the Night Angel Trilogy because it had a strong moral thread to it, and that the only truly good character was a monotheist, which I thought was nice. But then the author came out with a new series for the character, and I been trying to read the first book. It's so grimdark that I can only read it in small bits when I have the emotional space to deal with the darkness and depression. And, really, the main character's incompetence is just starting to get silly. One moment, he's making a wonderful, mature decision that affects the fate of the kingdom in a good way and, the next, he forgets he has powers.
I liked The Witcher: Last Wish by Andrzej Sapkowski, though that's the only volume I've read thus far. (Avoid the Netflix series. I watched the first season, but subsequent ones were pretty bad, but YMMV).
I read that one and a couple more in the series, though I skimmed the last two because Geralt wasn’t really the focus anymore. I tried watching the first season of the show but it did not hold my interest; the reviews I saw were much more entertaining.
The exact book you need is Piranesi!!!! By Susanna Clarke! The character is infectiously hopeful and positive! And likable. And the book is great. It’s short and a speedy read. And it references c s Lewis a lot.
Finally I really agree with one thing that Laura Hepworth writes above: YA Fantasy is an underappreciated genre and I don’t feel bad about reading as an adult at all. YA Fantasy can be some of the purest and most primal storytelling. I’m half-thinking of trying to run one of those Substack read-alongs for Lloyd Alexander’s The Chronicles of Prydain, which I feel are criminally forgotten in today’s culture. Those books shaped my childhood more than anything else I read (and reread, and reread).
I read quite a bit of YA when I was younger and then I kinda grew out of it. But I do remember reading and enjoying Alexander’s Vesper Holly series. I never got around to his fantasy stuff, so maybe I’ll have to check it out.
I also don’t know if it counts as fantasy but Madeline Miller’s _The Song of Achilles_ is one of my favorite books from the last few years… I thought it was a beautiful and touching retelling of The Illiad.
Yes—the first is Nine Princes in Amber. There are 10 of them but only the first five are good. Each is 200 pages, lots of dialogue, no glossaries, no maps.
I'm 3/4 of the way through "The Wise Man's Fear," so I would definitely recommend Rothfuss (though the series is incomplete). His dialogue is occasionally too clever by half, but those instances are few and far between.
David Gemmell is my all time favorite fantasy author. His stories are pulpy, without veering into depraved and grimdark territory, but the good guys usually come out on top, though not without a few deaths along the way.
David Eddings is another fantasy author I quite enjoyed growing up. His style is more what I would call "classic" fantasy: the good guys are definitely good; the bad guys are definitely bad. Lots of great action, romance, and the occasional tragedy.
I’d like to suggest the Saga of the Forgotten Warrior series by Larry Corriea. The first book is called Son of the Black Sword. Book 4 releases here shortly and the final book five early next year. I absolutely could not put these books down. They are amazing. Based on you list of three things above, I think you’d really like them.
I find I go through phases with fantasy. When I was in my 20s it was all I read. In the last few years it has tapered off some. I am not sure if the genre has changed or if it is me. Maybe both? Great article though.
I think most people go through phases in their reading; it seems pretty natural. My current phase is classics and re-reading. Thanks for liking my work!
I'm in exactly the same place. I've started drawing a distinction between *genre* and *literary* novels, and feel myself trending more toward literary since those sorts of stories emphasize three-dimensional characters and emotional complexity rather than just quips and social activism.
The few books that check both the fantasy and literary box for me:
1. A Wizard of Earthsea - Ursula LeGuin. Effortless worldbuilding and a deeply-felt character arc.
2. The Name of the Wind - Patrick Rothfuss. I know others have mentioned this, and I would second that. Lovely prose and a story that emphasizes humanness.
3. 'The Once and Future King - T.H. White. A classic of the genre. Takes some effort to read (similar to LotR in that sense), but I think it's worth it.
Thanks for the recommendations! I know I listened to Earthsea when I was about ten, but I have pretty much no memory of it, so maybe I should check it out again.
I must say I share a lot of your dissatisfaction. Having cut my teeth on The Hobbit and LOTR, and having loved the Earthsea books for most of my life (the beautiful new collection, The Books of Earthsea, was my favourite 65th birthday present), I find very little contemporary fantasy that tempts me to read further—even in the no-risk case of the library.
There's a great quote by Terry Practchett, who you've mentioned, saying that most fantasy books were written by “people who were inspired by people who were inspired by people who were inspired by Tolkien”.
And I suspect a lot of those where this doesn't apply are trying just a little too hard to not fall into this category. Being different for the sake of being different is not the same as being genuinely original.
Of course there are still people writing great fantasy, it's just hard to find the diamonds among all the rough stones.
Two series I really do recommend though are Naomi Novik's Temerarire books, a sweeping historical fantasy saga, and for those who like urban fantasy, Ben Aaronovitch's Rivers of London (possinly even better in audiobook, read by the utterly brilliant Kobna Holbrook-Smith). And for a standalone, R F Kuang's Babel.
I think now is the time that originality will find its way to the top. Books, movies, tv shows, they’re recycling things at an alarming pace but the desire for good, moving stories is still in demand. Maybe Substack is one place where the new classics will come from.
I hate all modern Mythic/Fantasy stories, I won't lie bonne dame. It is why I started writing and toiling away at my universe, and fighting to return the genre back to its roots that began with stories like LOTR/Silmarillion, Hour of the Dragon and Lord Dunsany's tales.
You aren't alone dear lady, if you want recommendations I can give you some for decent fantasy hereon Substack that doesn't have nihilism and the other 'isms' so to speak and are full of traditional beautiful story-telling and values but not only that but older books that are worth the read.
It is not the Genre but those trad-pub is seeking to foist upon it that have failed you and failed all readers of Fiction! It breaks my heart to see you going through what I've gone through. You aren't alone, this is still the greatest kind of fiction ever told, and one of the oldest Genres (as it technically goes back to Gilgamesh and even Ancient Egypt) it's been through dry spells, subversion, disruptions and disaster time and again and it will keep on enduring.
It really sucks what is happening in current fantasy stories, both books and movies/tv shows. I'm glad you're combating it and I'm interested in any recommendations you have, both on Substack and in print.
This is exactly why I have long since abandoned trad pub and now read indieauthors almost exclusively. I pick up the occasional trad pub, but it's a rare thing. I mostly just study their cover art now.
Makes sense to me, it is also why I stick to older books, if they aren’t from the fantasy era from the 1910s or so to 90s then I won’t touch them (unless they’re indie of course).
So we’re of one mind Laura! X)
So, we might not have the same tastes in fantasy, since I DNFed LOTR because life is too short to read 10 pages of dwarf names and how they are related, and I absolutely love awkward characters since I'm incurably awkward myself.
But man oh man do I agree with you! And it's not just fantasy books. Fantasy, romance, mystery, thrillers, etc. whether it's books, movies or TV shows, it's all turned grimdark. Dark themes, dark colors, morally corrupt characters, depressive motifs and general hopelessness.
I read to escape reality, not to enter a world even worse than reality. I'm having a very hard time finding anything to read or watch that doesn't leave me more miserable than when I started.
They say you should write gray characters to make them more realistic, well, I say whoever came up with that advice needs to get some new friends because none of my friends come close to being as jerky, toxic and morally corrupt as many of today's protagonists.
In a time where political correctness prevails, they sure like to romantisize toxic traits and behaviors 🤷🏻♂️
I'm all for tackling the difficult subjects, but there's nothing that says it cannot be done with hope, lightheartedness and humor. We can laugh through the tears. Most people can experience many feelings at once, tragedy doesn't have to suck everything and everyone into a black abyss of misery and keep them there forever. I'd just like some more light into my life. Make me believe the world is worth saving and that even though everything is not perfect, we can still find happiness and wonder in the little moments 🤗
100% yes! There are a lot of shows that started out fine and then they entered their dark phase and lost what made them enjoyable. A good example is Merlin; started fun and campy and then it turned dark and darker and don’t even speak to me about that ending.
Can they stop it with the gray/blue filter on everything? Forget the story, even the colors are depressing. And maybe it’s just me, but I think even soundtracks aren’t as colorful as they used to be.
I also need some lighthearted stories. Everything shouldn’t be a joke, but can these characters actually want to live and thrive and make the world a bit brighter? I don’t want to spend hours with people determined to wallow and complain. I want competent go-getters with convictions (no moral gray sludge) who are also likable and interesting.
It feels like we’re in the second Dark Ages; we are in dire need of a renaissance.
How funny, I've been complaining about those blue/gray filters for a while now. The world can end in bright colors!
And when you mention it, I used to find a lot of favorite songs through movie and TV show soundtracks. It hardly ever happens anymore.
Yesss!! Let's round up a group of like-minded authors and bring about the second renaissance 🤓📚
Color, sound, good characters and stories. It really shouldn’t be that hard.
I recently went back to the Harry Potter soundtracks and Prisoner of Azkaban is wild. Williams must’ve used every instrument known to man and it’s so much fun to listen to (“Hagrid the Professor” is a favorite). Then compare that to basically any new fantasy or superhero thing and it all sounds the same, or like someone fell asleep on the keyboard.
I’m a pretty slow writer, but I hope to be a part of that renaissance.
This is so me to the max! Reality is plenty grim - I want hope, heroes, people striving to be better than they are or seeking redemption, people I can look up to and admire for being good people and stories where the good guys win even in the face of terrible odds. I especially get sick of the "its not realistic that every character survives." I don't care - I don't want to spend 400 pages of a story getting to love a character only to have them die on me in the end, and even worse, have a story where its a revolving door of characters introduced only to die chapters later.
I find myself trying new books all the time but unable to get past the first chapter or so, and gravitating back to old favorites instead.
Yeeeeessssss with the endless killing of characters, it's like you are reading my mind!! I don't need reality, I've got plenty of that - give me fantasy where everyone survives against all odds 🤩
Tell me about it, I've got trust issues with the new books of today, I don't trust them with my beloved characters 🥺
There is a trend in a lot of modern fantasy (especially trad pub fantasy) that I really, really hate and I think it's part of the same reason you're struggling with reading it right now.
1) Lots of modern writing (and not just fantasy) skimp on narrative and description and everything that makes you feel immersed in favour of more action, more internal thoughts, and more dialogue, but it's hard to paint pictures with words that really pull you into that world when you skimp on these things. They don't have to be purple (though, personally, I don't mind a little purple in prose, but a little can go a long ways), but they do have to be there. It was everywhere in older fiction, but it's not as common now.
2) Another issue is that a lot of books now (again, especially trad, but not just; I see it a ton in indie as well) have an underlying agenda instead of just telling a great story. Sure, there were lessons that could be gleaned from them, morals being taught, and, yes, any writer's personal beliefs are going to show in their writing whether done deliberately or not, but you weren't being beaten over the head with 'I have this political/social/whathaveyou message to tell and you're going to hear it whether you want to or not' that feels like it's everywhere now (plus the feeling that if you don't want to hear that message of theirs that that somehow villainizes you, at least in their minds).
3) As evil men wax worse and worse, can we really be surprised by how dark books and television and movies are getting? These are dark days and only getting darker and, sadly, it's reflected in the entertainment around us.
All of these things are part of why I write fantasy/scifi the way I do. I write it how I like to read it. I typically have preferred reading young adult fantasy because trad pub adult fiction (of any genre) became so much about how much language, sex, or other graphic and even disturbing content they could get away with and less about any actual plot or worldbuilding while YA (at that time) had a greater range of creative story ideas.....until they are started doing the same thing over and over and over, got triter and more shallow in how everyone was written, and also trying to push the envelope as to how much adult 'shock' content they could include and have it still labeled as 'young adult.' I've since abandoned trad published books almost entirely having found what I like among fellow indieauthors. I want to read a good story. Whether the characters are still practically kids or great-grandparents I don't especially care, but I want a good story, good characters, and good worldbuilding (and, obviously, good writing) and I don't want to have to sift through a bunch of unnecessary junk and agendas to find it.
I agree! Well said. I like going back to older stories, ones that aren’t focused on some questionable message or twisted morals. I just want a good story with good characters, something/one to root for, and it seems like all the current trends are getting in the way of those being the popular things. Hopefully that’ll shift soon.
We can only hope! In the meantime, thank goodness we have the option of indieauthors now.
Loved this article, because it's exactly where I'm at. I have such a distrust for modern fantasy due to the changing style, the hyper-focus on romance (aka, "spice"), and so forth.
It's why I'm writing fantasy, honestly. I'm writing the stories I want to read, book equivalents of playing games like Final Fantasy (but knowing the main character isn't gonna die at the end in a contrived hero's sacrifice). Plus, I get to inject elements of my faith into the character arcs, so win-win!
Good on you! I think all authors should just write what they want to read and forget the current trends.
I really liked the Night Angel Trilogy because it had a strong moral thread to it, and that the only truly good character was a monotheist, which I thought was nice. But then the author came out with a new series for the character, and I been trying to read the first book. It's so grimdark that I can only read it in small bits when I have the emotional space to deal with the darkness and depression. And, really, the main character's incompetence is just starting to get silly. One moment, he's making a wonderful, mature decision that affects the fate of the kingdom in a good way and, the next, he forgets he has powers.
A monotheist, you say? That’s something I haven’t seen enough of in fantasy. I’ll add it to my list.
I liked The Witcher: Last Wish by Andrzej Sapkowski, though that's the only volume I've read thus far. (Avoid the Netflix series. I watched the first season, but subsequent ones were pretty bad, but YMMV).
I read that one and a couple more in the series, though I skimmed the last two because Geralt wasn’t really the focus anymore. I tried watching the first season of the show but it did not hold my interest; the reviews I saw were much more entertaining.
The exact book you need is Piranesi!!!! By Susanna Clarke! The character is infectiously hopeful and positive! And likable. And the book is great. It’s short and a speedy read. And it references c s Lewis a lot.
I’ve heard of that one, but I didn’t know that about the main character. I’ll add it to my list. Thanks!
At the risk if being annoying, I recommend putting it at the top of your list. 😉
Finally I really agree with one thing that Laura Hepworth writes above: YA Fantasy is an underappreciated genre and I don’t feel bad about reading as an adult at all. YA Fantasy can be some of the purest and most primal storytelling. I’m half-thinking of trying to run one of those Substack read-alongs for Lloyd Alexander’s The Chronicles of Prydain, which I feel are criminally forgotten in today’s culture. Those books shaped my childhood more than anything else I read (and reread, and reread).
I read quite a bit of YA when I was younger and then I kinda grew out of it. But I do remember reading and enjoying Alexander’s Vesper Holly series. I never got around to his fantasy stuff, so maybe I’ll have to check it out.
I also don’t know if it counts as fantasy but Madeline Miller’s _The Song of Achilles_ is one of my favorite books from the last few years… I thought it was a beautiful and touching retelling of The Illiad.
Do you know the Amber novels? Not strictly fantasy but I’m not sure what I would call them. They’re excellent.
Is that the series by Roger Zelazny? I read one of his other books, but not the Amber ones.
Yes—the first is Nine Princes in Amber. There are 10 of them but only the first five are good. Each is 200 pages, lots of dialogue, no glossaries, no maps.
I'm 3/4 of the way through "The Wise Man's Fear," so I would definitely recommend Rothfuss (though the series is incomplete). His dialogue is occasionally too clever by half, but those instances are few and far between.
David Gemmell is my all time favorite fantasy author. His stories are pulpy, without veering into depraved and grimdark territory, but the good guys usually come out on top, though not without a few deaths along the way.
David Eddings is another fantasy author I quite enjoyed growing up. His style is more what I would call "classic" fantasy: the good guys are definitely good; the bad guys are definitely bad. Lots of great action, romance, and the occasional tragedy.
Thanks for the recommendations!
I’d like to suggest the Saga of the Forgotten Warrior series by Larry Corriea. The first book is called Son of the Black Sword. Book 4 releases here shortly and the final book five early next year. I absolutely could not put these books down. They are amazing. Based on you list of three things above, I think you’d really like them.
Okay! Thanks for the recommendation!
I find I go through phases with fantasy. When I was in my 20s it was all I read. In the last few years it has tapered off some. I am not sure if the genre has changed or if it is me. Maybe both? Great article though.
I think most people go through phases in their reading; it seems pretty natural. My current phase is classics and re-reading. Thanks for liking my work!
I'm in exactly the same place. I've started drawing a distinction between *genre* and *literary* novels, and feel myself trending more toward literary since those sorts of stories emphasize three-dimensional characters and emotional complexity rather than just quips and social activism.
The few books that check both the fantasy and literary box for me:
1. A Wizard of Earthsea - Ursula LeGuin. Effortless worldbuilding and a deeply-felt character arc.
2. The Name of the Wind - Patrick Rothfuss. I know others have mentioned this, and I would second that. Lovely prose and a story that emphasizes humanness.
3. 'The Once and Future King - T.H. White. A classic of the genre. Takes some effort to read (similar to LotR in that sense), but I think it's worth it.
Thanks for the recommendations! I know I listened to Earthsea when I was about ten, but I have pretty much no memory of it, so maybe I should check it out again.
I must say I share a lot of your dissatisfaction. Having cut my teeth on The Hobbit and LOTR, and having loved the Earthsea books for most of my life (the beautiful new collection, The Books of Earthsea, was my favourite 65th birthday present), I find very little contemporary fantasy that tempts me to read further—even in the no-risk case of the library.
There's a great quote by Terry Practchett, who you've mentioned, saying that most fantasy books were written by “people who were inspired by people who were inspired by people who were inspired by Tolkien”.
And I suspect a lot of those where this doesn't apply are trying just a little too hard to not fall into this category. Being different for the sake of being different is not the same as being genuinely original.
Of course there are still people writing great fantasy, it's just hard to find the diamonds among all the rough stones.
Two series I really do recommend though are Naomi Novik's Temerarire books, a sweeping historical fantasy saga, and for those who like urban fantasy, Ben Aaronovitch's Rivers of London (possinly even better in audiobook, read by the utterly brilliant Kobna Holbrook-Smith). And for a standalone, R F Kuang's Babel.
I think now is the time that originality will find its way to the top. Books, movies, tv shows, they’re recycling things at an alarming pace but the desire for good, moving stories is still in demand. Maybe Substack is one place where the new classics will come from.
Thanks for your recommendations!
Have you read TJ Klune?
No I haven’t. What book would you recommend?
House by the cerulean sea by far!!!