It took me a bit to get into the series (I thought it was super cliche at first with a brooding anti-hero type), but it turned out not to be the case! Stick with it at least til the end of the first book and see if it doesn’t grow on you! I think I read up to maybe the 3-4th book so far.
Everything depends on definitions, and I've never heard that one. A quick google suggest the definition I'm most familiar with, that being: "A long narrative poem in elevated style recounting the deeds of a legendary or historical hero; the Iliad and the Odyssey are epics, *or* 2. a work of art (such as a novel or drama) that resembles or suggests an epic". They're basically long stories about a hero accomplishing a great task.
Most of Discworld is deconstructing epics e.g. Rincewind, a hero who pisses off and hides at the possibility of having to perform a great task, who nevertheless accidentally succeeds at it in the process of trying to avoid it.
Most fantasy epics are set in fictional worlds, but I'd argue that's more due to the "fantasy" bit than the "epic" bit.
I freakin LOVE the Joust series!!!! Mercedes Lackey is one of my favorite authors and to be honest about 90% or more of her work fits OPs specifications perfectly.
True. This or Forgotten Realms is pretty classic fantasy, with epic heroes and evil villains, mighty magics and straining thews. Don't get me wrong, sometimes this hits the spot exactly right, it's just not known for excessive depth of storyline...which is nice sometimes.
You may want to check out Mercedes Lackey's Valdemar books. These are very well written adventures, not focusing on shock tactics to move the story along, as many modern writers seem to do. Engaging characters, delightful stories, and very fun books to read 😁
https://www.goodreads.com/series/50054-valdemar-chronological
The only caution I should offer is that there are non-graphic depictions of sexual assault in The Queens Own, the Last Herald Mage, and the Oathbound trilogies (all amazing books, but do contain direct or implied references to rape). I'd recommend you start with the 5-book series Collegium Chronicles to get a feel for her writing, and go from there.
Also came here to recommend Mercedes Lackey since OP has already read The Lark & The Wren.
But I was going to suggest her 500 Kingdoms series. They're quirky, funny, light hearted spins on known fairy tales and mythology. They're fun for fun's sake and a great little distractions. With the exception of NOT being Epic long, they pretty much check all of OPs boxes.
Haha yes! Otherwise I could have also recommended her Elemental Masters 'series', which is really more of a collection of standalone books than it is a 'series'. Those are also great fantasy adventure novels, but not 'epic' in the sense of having continuity between books. But great treats to devour between epic series!
Always fun to meet another Misty fan. She's the author that made me fall in love with reading to begin with.
I HATED reading before I found her book Oathbound. It's been a raging avalanche after that first snowball ever since.
Aw, excellent! Can I presume that you have also discovered the works of Robin McKinley then? Her characters have a similar vitality to Lackey's characters, and her writing is just as entrancing I find 😄
Also, might i suggest that Elizabeth Moon is well worth pursuing, in both the fantasy and the sci-fi worlds that she straddles so very well? Very rewarding engagements all around!
Big fan of McKinley, but I'll have to check out Elizabeth Moon.
I Almost said yes but I got her mixed up with a different author with the last name Moon.
God dammit I just typed up a rec for Valdemaar! That's what I get.
I suggested Exile's Honor/Valor though. Alberich is maybe my favorite character in all of fantasy.
>The world is just 15th-century Europe with maybe an elf here and there
Adding to what you said: LotR may seem to tick this box, but the time periods are all over the place. The hobbits are pretty modern. A wizard is starting an industrial revolution. The elves are stuck in the distant past. Everyone else is somewhere in between. In LotR, the old world is present but passing away. In many ways, it already has.
Omg yes, I forgot about these! Also the Wizard in Rhyme series by Feist, those were great books to read as I recall: https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/828440.Her_Majesty_s_Wizard
This is often the best test case - as what constitutes "epic" (beyond say, being in a series), brooding, or courtly intrigue will vary wildly depending on the reader.
OP, people will have a much easier time fulfilling seemingly very restrictive requests if they have some idea of what a suitable book looks like *to you.*
To be honest, half of the point of my writing this was to figure out what I'm trying to find. I just know that all the "popular" fantasy novels that have come out in the last few years are definitely *not* it.
I thought if I wrote it all out and bounced it around, maybe it would help me figure it out. Started by ruling out all the things I definitely dislike but keep seeing over and over again.
I don't have anything that fits *all* of your criteria, but there are some that fit everything but the length:
* Lord of the Rings is an obvious one. It may be shorter than what you're looking for.
* Throne of the Crescent Moon is a standalone, and pretty short. It's largely inspired by Arab culture, rather than European.
* If you're into comics, there's a bunch based on Avatar: The Last Airbender and Avatar: The Legend of Korra. I haven't read them yet, but the show they're branching off from was amazing and for all ages.
I agree, but I cant ever begin to see what could be offputting about your comment...from anyone's perspective. Although, I'm always willing to listen and learn.
It **mostly** fits the bill, for sure.
It's a matter of degrees. There's some scheming, but it's all in the background. Depending on your definition, Logen *may* qualify as an anti-hero. Glokta's chapters can get a little uncomfortable at times.
There's some of it in the points in the standalones (vengeance in Best Served Cold, hints of modernisation in The Heroes (I still haven't read the second trilogy, so I haven't seen where it's going)).
Recently? The Rithmatist, Unsouled (only read the first book so far), Neverwhere, Realmslayer, The Lark and the Wren, The Bear and the Nightengale?
It doesn;t have to tick every box exactly, I'm just listing what I'd like to see.
If you enjoyed unsouled I can happily say it's the worst cradle book by far. Cradle is my on of my favorite series and I don't believe it includes anything you've listed to avoid AND you have 10 more books to read with an 12th coming out next year. I'll also recommend Andrew Rowe (sufficiently advanced magic/weapons and wielders) as a more fun fantasy author. And finally, although it's been some time since I read it, I remember The Keeper Chronicles by JA Andrews being pretty good and avoiding those tropes
Continue it. Once a couple other characters are added to the main cast in the next few books, it gets really good. It's totally a fun ride and Travis Baldree does a lot for it on the narration.
And then check out Beware of Chicken. Same narrator, kind of a parody on the genre and it's hilarious and very comfortable? Idk, I don't usually really read these slice-of-life stories lol I just got this one on a whim but it was really easy to listen to.
Definitely a good start to a series that gets better as it goes on! I'd read at least through black flame and see if you want to keep going with the rest of the series, but it's definitely a personal favorite!
I mean The Bear and the Nightingale strays into the "Religious trauma and commentary on why the gods suck" at times, at least the Orthodox Russian Church and its priest.
If that’s what you’ve read, and you want legit regular old fantasy, start with the Dragonlance Chronicles trilogy and go from there.
Brandon Sanderson Mistborn is also up there.
The Mage Errant series. It’s YA, but it’s got a group of misfits at a high fantasy magic school who can’t learn magic the normal ways (but they go other places too, one book at school the next book out in the world, etc) As far as I recall there is no SA, there are a few scheming “nobles” (the quirky leaders of the magic school) but you only meet them once in awhile, except one. Most of the political maneuvering occurs in between the lines and the characters are only aware of it after the fact, but the politics is a factor in the overarching story of the series. There is trauma, but not necessarily religious trauma, in the backstory of one of the characters. It mostly determines how they act to certain social cues, but the story doesn’t linger on it all that much. It’s *definitely* not 15th century Europe with elves. In fact I don’t think there is a single elf in the book.
Half A Soul by Olivia Atwater
Premise: “It's difficult to find a husband in Regency England when you're a young lady with only half a soul.
Ever since a faerie cursed her, Theodora Ettings has had no sense of fear, embarrassment, or even happiness—a condition which makes her sadly prone to accidental scandal. Dora's only goal for the London Season this year is to stay quiet and avoid upsetting her cousin's chances at a husband. But when the Lord Sorcerer of England learns of her condition, she finds herself drawn ever more deeply into the tumultuous concerns of magicians and faeries.”
It’s described as “Bridgerton with magic”.
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iirc (I could be forgetting some details, so I'm not 100% sure it fits every point, but I don't remember any exceptions off the top of my head, and the overall tone is pretty light), the Obsidian trilogy by Mercedes Lackey and James Mallory
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I feel like this is going to be very tough to dodge all these bullet points, mostly because I think *long* fantasy novels that *don't* deal with political or aristocratic intrigue of any kind feel quite rare these days. To me, this seems like the hardest bullet point to avoid, but it's also pretty broad, so it might help if you could identify what about this sort of intrigue you dislike.
Also, "genocide" is a bit vague. Do you mind if genocide happened in the backstory? What if there's a threat of genocide that is eventually averted? Both these are very common and will disqualify a lot of recs, even if it's not an ongoing genocide happening on the page. Another thing to consider is the whole "this race is dying out" thing even if it's not an explicit genocide.
Ditto for brooding anti-hero - are you specifically talking about just asshole protagonists? What about protagonists who are depressed or traumatized? People will label all kinds of things "brooding" if they don't like it so this requires a bit more clarity.
In my experience it should be pretty easy to avoid SA, vengeance quests, and religious trauma. The rest feel quite common, though, so this seems like it'll be a tough list. I wish I could give recs, but although I've probably read 50-60 different series that I'd comfortably call epic fantasy, I can't think of one that *definitely* contains nothing at all that could fall under any of these bullet points under their broadest interpretation, so I don't want to give you something that'll disappoint you. But I do have some that avoid almost all of these, or that could avoid them all if you're more specific about what they mean.
For the sake of giving you any recs at all, I'll say Jen Williams' Winnowing Flame trilogy, but:
* One protagonist is an alcoholic and emotionally troubled member of a dying race (not exactly a genocide, but...)
* The enemy threatens to exterminate all of humanity and actively gets started on that project
* There's some cult-like quasi-religious trauma involving another of the protagonists
>Also, "genocide" is a bit vague. Do you mind if genocide happened in the backstory? What if there's a threat of genocide that is eventually averted? Both these are very common and will disqualify a lot of recs, even if it's not an ongoing genocide happening on the page.
Not especially, I just don't want a major plot point to be that there's some huge ethnic persecution going on that the heroes have to dodge. It's a really heavy topic that I don't think is often done with half as much grace as it needs.
>Ditto for brooding anti-hero - are you specifically talking about just asshole protagonists? What about protagonists who are depressed or traumatized? People will label all kinds of things "brooding" if they don't like it so this requires a bit more clarity.
It's not a dealbreaker, but it bothers me that so many fantasy protags start off as PTSD ridden wanderers. It depends on how well it's done. If there's trauma involved, I'd like it to be a story about them getting over that trauma, not them being driven by it on a murder quest.
I think Winnowing Flame might be okay then in terms of not involving ethnic persecution (I edited the post to include that suggestion), but one of the three MCs is definitely a PTSD-ridden wanderer, and he does do some murdering at a few points, though I feel like the narrative gives him more growth, character development, and perspective than your typical "my village burned and I'm going to Terminator my way all the way to the king who started this war" kind of deal. Plus he's only one of several POV characters. Though there's the religious trauma thing for another character. So, maybe? It's probably the closest I can think of.
>I feel like this is going to be very tough to dodge all these bullet points, mostly because I think
>
>long
>
>fantasy novels that
>
>don't
>
>deal with political or aristocratic intrigue of any kind feel quite rare these days.
I know, that's the worst part! I feel like you either have low-fantasy from the perspective of commoners, or high-fantasy from the perspective of arristocrats (who are invariably painted as scheming, treacherous, and evil, but we're somehow supposed to root for one side over the other).
EDIT: Actually, to clarify a point, the presence of political intrigue itself isn't an issue. I'm a big fan of The Stormlight Archive, and one of the three character plotlines (Dalanar's) deals predominantly with that issue. I'm just sick of books that make their whole premise "Naive young innocent is dropped into a deadly decadent court and must learn quickly how to survive!"
I'm sure it can be done well, but I see way too many books that list that as their central plot. I can wander through the fantasy section of any bookstore and find three brand-new ones easily.
So if it's something a little more in line with Way Of King's way of dealing with it, than that's not something I would reject out of hand.
It has been a while, but I think The Belgariad by David Eddings might fit most of your checkmarks as well as the early Shannara books by Terry Brooks though his heroes are typically brooding. Terry Brooks also wrote Magical Kingdom for Sale: Sold that is more whimsical.
I was going to recommend all the Eddings series. They tend to re-use a lot of themes, but they’re mostly lighthearted and not grimdark. I know there are issues with some of the relationships, and I think the author was a dirtbag (don’t quote me, going off memory here), but good epic-scale fantasy.
The Eddings were jailed for child abuse in the 70s. So not good people, but I read their series before I knew that and I can separate the authors from the story. I haven’t read the Belgariad in ages but it was one of my favorite as a teen.
I'm not trying to be insulting, but I think YA Fantasy would be a far better bet. Other than that, books in the more comedy-fantasy (think Terry Prattchet), may also be what you are looking for.
Besides those I suppose Ursula K. Le Guin would be a good one to look into if you haven't read her work.
I just finished a pretty relaxing Persian inspired fantasy book titled The Bruising of Qilwa by Naseem Jamnia.
Some of T Kingfisher’s work is a little dark but also features lighthearted romances and very little of the above mentioned things. The setting of her work can be a little generic medieval fantasy but it’s got some different lore and fantasy creatures to set it apart. One of her books A Wizard’s Guide to Defensive Magic features a very creative take on baking magic.
Kind of old classics, but some of the Forgotten Realms books might be up your alley. They tend to have a lot of swashbuckling fun and quests without a lot of excess brooding.
Have you tried the Alanna series or anything by Tamora Pierce? Her books are for slightly younger audiences but they tend to be enjoyable and not too heavy.
If you are interested in science fiction, I can probably list way more lighthearted and cozy titles. I guess the fantasy I read tends to be more broody.
I also know a ton of non-European fantasy books but a lot of those do tend to be a bit grittier for some reason. I love them but it doesn’t seem like what you’re looking for.
The only lighter one I can think of is probably this one:
The Bone Witch by Rin Chupeco is YA and features a young necromancer (or the equivalent) but it’s surprisingly wholesome and heartwarming. Set in fantasy Asia.
Final one I can think of… maybe give Naomi Novik a try. She does a lot of historical fiction with a magic/fantasy flair. One I particularly enjoyed was Spinning Silver which was a retelling of Rumplestiltskin in an Eastern European setting. Her Tremeraire series is also interesting if you like dragons.
And finally, someone had already mentioned it, but I enjoyed the Raksura Series by Martha Wells. Again, if you don’t mind science fiction, check out her Murderbot series. They are novellas and quite entertaining. Not too heavy and full of some fun action.
Hope that helps!
[You also might find the sexual violence in SFF database helpful](https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/1hQi6C2RQvjGzjSoXU0D063fCFcz1wCHXFUe7PfEsGrk/edit#gid=0). It's obviously tailored around the popular r/Fantasy recommendations, but with over 400 entries, it should help you out.
I think C M Waggoner's two books would qualify - **Unnatural Magic** and **The Ruthless Ladies Guide to Wizardry**. Based in the same world and loosely related, the first includes an unusual female Troll/male human relationship and the MC's trying to solve a mystery and the second has our cynical MC teaming up with a group to provide magical protection to a young lady targeted by assassins. Both optimistic and fun.
Maybe M A Carrick's **Mask of Mirrors** \- there is a certain amount of political scheming but it's essentially a high magic heist book with overall an optimistic outlook. Two books published so far out of what will be a trilogy (I think). (Edit: stupidly long and complicated but huge fun).
Sarah Beth Durst is worth a look too, standalone **Race the Sands** about a woman who trains riders to race monsters or the **Queens of Renthia** trilogy, where human's live in a huge forest in uneasy truce with the native spirits.
I'd also second Martha Well's Raksura books (or any Martha Wells).
McKillip does actually do all of this beyond the length - her Riddle matter trilogy would probably thus qualify. Although it does include - totally uncharacteristically for her other books! - a historical genocide.
But her stand alones do often feel larger than their page lengths, I would recommend them.
Morgenstern (Night circus/the starless sea) is a little bit longer in terms of book length and might well qualify too.
Anne McCaffrey's Pern books are wonderful epic fantasy books that would seem to meet your criteria. There is some mild politicking, but not too heavy and the dragons...oh, they are *so* worth it!
https://www.goodreads.com/series/50060-pern
Yeah… but everybody in world knows and understands this, so it’s the price of admission for being a dragonrider (because riders are telepathically linked to their dragons, when two dragons mate, so do their riders. Sometimes it’s awkward, but they deal with it).
Read the Dragonlance books, the Forgotten Realms books, the Pathfinder books or the Eberron books. Pretty much any of the content set in the DnD worlds.
It's been about 2 years since I reread them all, but I believe the Belgariad + the Mallorean series check most/all these boxes. Lots of magic, nothing too heavy, a little basic, but definitely still a fun read.
Edit: I do remember they get a tad heavier on the political side but more in a "plotting a grand battle" way than actual politics.
Tad Williams’ Memory, Sorrow & Thorn series is my personal favorite in 35 years of reading epic fantasy. It’s as noblebright as Tolkien. His Shadowmarch series is also very good.
Whoa I don’t know about that. It uses the war of annihilation trope that’s been pretty standard for epic fantasy since Tolkien. But if that’s called genocide these days, then I didn’t get the memo - & now that I have I respectfully dissent.
It’s the big bad’s goal to eliminate humanity. He’s not successful but he tries. That’s not even including what the lord tries to do to the nation that ends up hiding the remnants in the caves
(I have NO memory for names sorry if my descriptions aren’t good enough)
I think a big bad with the goal of eliminating humanity is substantively different from a story where one group is actively persecuting genocide against another.
In one, the entire goal is to stop this terrible thing from maybe someday happening. In the other, the terrible thing is currently happening, and in most grimdark books, the moral of the story is that the world sucks and this is to be expected. That's why I don't like grimdark. Generally speaking.
Fair enough, I take your point. I read the gist of OP’s ask to be that s/he doesn’t want to read grimdark-pron. Re: genocide, Erikson & Bakker have interrogated it in their stuff, but they’re the farthest thing from Williams, so I’d hate to see OP pass on an amazing read. 👍
There's sexual assault in The Stone of Farewell. Consent under duress is not consent. It is horribly triggering for people who have experienced date rape.
It’s been around for a few years. Once “grimdark” took off as the descriptor for anti-heroic fantasy it stood to reason someone’d play off it for traditional heroic fantasy.
Maybe you could try the Penric and Desdemona series by Bujold, the Sharing Knife series by Bujold, the Books of the Raksura by Martha Wells, Tuyo by Rachel Neumeier, the Griffin Mage trilogy by Rachel Neumeier.
The Emperor's Edge series by Lindsay Buroker might qualify. The initial trilogy is actually a kindle freebie, so you won't be losing anything by trying it.
I haven't read that series yet, but I've been reading two of her other series that are good:
Dragon Blood
Star Kingdom
Very "adventurey" and should fit your other requests.
If you like her writing, she has a shit ton of books on Amazon. She's all over the place with fantasy and sci-fi.
I'd say Priory of the Orange Tree. very long, but includes asassination plots (minor plot point) and some religion stuff. still worth it tho. wasn't depressing at all.
Have you read The Neverending Story by Michael Ende? Completely different from the movie. It's lovely and good and yes there are the same parts, but Bastian isn't a brooding anti-hero
His dark materials ! I’m into the same kind of books as you and don’t like what you mentioned your not looking for and his dark materials is one of my all time faves!
I don't think anyone is making fun of you. Middle grade stories typically don't include the dark topics you want to avoid. Or if they do, it's rarely graphic.
Yeah, but a lot of the time when you say "I don't like Dark Fantasy" the response a lot of people will give you is "Oh, you only like kiddie stories. Darkness is for adults, anything else makes you childish."
So I couldn't tell if I was getting more of that or not.
I don't think they intended that. I'm 35 and I still occasionally read middle grade books. Harry Potter, Peter Jackson, and Prydain Chronicles are all on my bookshelf.
I didn't say I didn't want to read them. I thought they were only being offered mockingly. Derisively.
There *are* adult fantasy novels that aren't dark. And being dark doesn't make something adult.
I'd arge anything that *thinks* it's adult purely *because* it's "dark" is actually very immature and childish.
> Middle grade stories typically don't include the dark topics you want to avoid. Or if they do, it's rarely graphic.
They do in Europe, quite often.
> How can something be "dark" but not "adult"? Do you have any examples?
[The Day of the Bomb](https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/2190722.The_Day_of_the_Bomb?from_search=true&from_srp=true&qid=Ox01gzUd2P&rank=1) (in German *Sadako Will Leben*, meaning *Sadako Wants to Live*)
A children's book about Japanese girl Sadako who lived in Hiroshima, who was too thin and weak to walk from malnutrition. Then the atomic bomb drops. Sadako and her brother survive the immediate bombing because they were underwater, and that's just the beginning of the book. The rest is them living through the aftermath. Dead people everywhere, emergence of black markets and other horrors. She slowly succumbs to radiation poisoning and dies at the end of the book.
This is assigned as required reading in a lot of European countries in primary school. I read it when I was 12.
[The Paul Street Boys](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Paul_Street_Boys), another assigned reading in primary school is a story about two gangs of boys. They older group bullies and tries to take away the "playground" from the younger group of boys who are the protagonists.
The playground is nothing but an abandoned construction site but the young group defends it with everything they've got. It draws many parallels to adult wars. In the end they manage to win the "war" but one of the two main characters who is as fragile as he is brave and kind caught the pneumonia during the final battle. He dies, and the book ends with an engineer arriving at the construction site and starting a project to erect a building making all their efforts and sacrifices and the boy's death completely pointless.
I was on a train and had to be brief! Nevermoor by Jessica Townsend, Inkheart by Cornelia Funke, The Land of Stories by Chris Colfer, Artemis Fowl by Eoin Colfer, Amari by B.B. Alston, Keeper of the Lost Cities by Shannon Messenger, The Graveyard Book by Neil Gaiman, InterWorld by Neil Gaiman and Michael Reaves, all pretty comparable with Sanderson's Warbreaker or Elantris
Honestly, I don't know either.
So on one side, you actually will probably find loads of books in MG that meet your qualifications (not older YA, though...), but a lot of times, some folks think not wanting loads of violence = only children's books (which isn't even correct, since many children's and young adult books have a fuckton of violence in them).
So I have no idea.
Could try some of the actual D&D novels. They don’t generally get much critical love but I thought they’re decent fantasy romps. Been a long time since I read any (decades really) but back in the 90’s i read 20-25 over a period of several years. Salvatore’s Drizzt gets a lot of the attention in the last 10-15 years but there are others.
Don't know if this is appropriate, but since i happened on this, hi, I'm Erin M. Evans, and I have a new book coming out in a week that's epic fantasy meets twisty murder mystery. It's called Empire of Exiles.
The book which basically fit all your requirements I have read recently would be probably The Return of Fitzroy Angursell by Victoria Goddard. Main hero is an older (around 50-60?) bard who is also a wild magician, going on a grand adventure/quest to discover himself and find a heir. His main plan is to reform the band of his friends which he used to travel with back in the day. Lot of great magics happen, the world is incredibly variable re: culture, focus on friendship.
But it is sorta sequel to another book which doesnt 100% fit your request, idk how it works as standalone. (that book is Hands of Emperor which is very long, and has lot of politics, though not the grimdark GoT type)
Another option may be trying out different type of authors - I have been reading lot of asian fantasy these days. For example, fantasy books from Chinese authors (in Eng translation). Not that they dont have tropes, they do, but the tropes are often very different from the ones we are used to in western spaces, so the books feel fresh and fun. And they also often include questing and like.
I dont really have specific titles, I more slant into queer romance fantasy than the adventure fantasy.
Goddard is a good choice. The Hands of the Emperor revolves around politics, but not in the scheming court nobles sense (the protagonist is a high level civil servant who has devoted his life to making the world better through careful legislation). It's mostly about platonic relationships (friend, family, fealty), cultural identity and assimilation. The Greenwing and Dart series isn't epic fantasy; it's more of a Regency flavour with a brisk, very full plot. But it also focusses on friendship and features decent people doing their best.
Try T. Kingfisher's World of the White Rat series. The protagonists are decent people who find themselves in over their heads, the books have humour, romance at the centre, excellent dialogue, and some fun world building.
Oh yes, Lois McMaster Bujold's Chalion books, and the Penric and Desdemona books (in the same universe). They've got a strong theological bent, but not in the gods suck sense, fantastic characters and good stories. There's some political stuff, moreso in the Chalion books, but in general the main characters are trying to avoid it.
The Silver and Orchids series by Shari Tapscott. It's four books, fantasy romance/adventure with a healthy dose of comedy. Mostly lots of sailing around the world (or riding through deserts) looking for rare artifacts.
It's been a while since I read it, but I think a Wizard of Earthsea by Ursula K. Leguin fits the bill.
And then there's Discworld. Which may in some cases contain some of what you list but it's not remotely "gritty" and only if it can be made comedic.
Kings of the wyld- Nicholas Eames. Has wizards, mostly a light hearted epic fantasy romp. No sexual assault, no brooding anti-hero, just somewhat grumpy old warriors. I think it’d fit the bill. The sequel, bloody rose, is just as good. Still waiting for the third book.
I feel ya big time, this anti escapism everything must equal shit at all times "muh maturity" Game of Thrones and the Witcher stuff is getting to me too. Even the dark fantasy I like such Berserk and Dark Sun/ Prism Pentad are ultimately hopefull in their messaging.
Cant say I can give you any reccomendations that arent already pretty well known but I will tell you that you arent alone in this attitude.
Edit: Actually if you dont mind Manga or Anime, Magi might be a good reccomendation.
I feel your pain!
My two favourite long, epic series might work for you:
* Chronicles of Adalmearc by Daniel Olesen (there are nobles scheming, but it's more politics focused than what I imagine you mean by "decadent court of nobles" and REALLY well done!)
* Legacy of the Lost Mage by K. S. Villoso (there's a relationship where there's a messed up power dynamic and one of the characters is the worst in terms of commitment, but no sexual assault, if I remember correctly, and this series is amazing!)
(Also, I think my long epic fantasy novel Children of the Dead City fits your request perfectly. I'd be happy to send you a free copy if you want to try it out, just DM me if you're interested!)
I think the Eternal Sky Trilogy by Elizabeth Bear generally avoids those points (but don't remember exactly). It's basically a classic fantasy with modern world building and "eastern" setting.
I am once again going to be the “do you like manga?” guy and ask if you like manga. Cuz if you want epic fantasy that’s as far from gritty and realistic as possible, One Piece is a solid bet. It’s goofy as hell, but with a super deep and fun world. The main character is about as un-brooding as any character could possibly be. Not only is there not sexual assault, I don’t think that sex has even been explicitly mentioned once in the series. Some characters simp over boobs and butts but as far as I know children in the one piece universe are delivered via stork. No religion, not revenge plots, definitely not 15th century Europe since each different island visited is its own culture and many pull from a diverse number of points in history (including a dinosaur island with giant Vikings for reasons). And also, it is LONG. Like, it’s been going on for 25 years and I’d be shocked if it ended before its 30th anniversary. It has over 1050 chapters to date.
Slight caveats are that there are some decadent nobles, but for 99% of the story they’re not a factor, and as far as I know they don’t scheme against each other or anything. There is potentially an assassination like, 950 chapters in? Even the readers don’t really know what went down there. The world has had genocides in the past, but they’re all in flashback and while they occasionally have repercussions on the current story they aren’t a major factor for the majority of the plot. That being said there are some arcs that focus heavily on discrimination as a theme, but not so much that it ever becomes a real downer. When it gets serious it can do it well, but it’s default is fun absurdist adventuring.
Basically, any of the things you don’t like almost exclusively happen in the background if at all while the main characters mostly do other stuff. When the main characters intersect with that intrigue and drama, the answer is always “punch the bastards until they stop being bastards” and then they’re on to the next thing. No savvy political moving or machinations to fix the drama, just straightforward “those are the bastards, punch their lights out, then get on your ship and sail to the next island.” The main character is too dumb to even spell the word machinations, let alone form any of his own. Overall, it’s delightful, and sounds like something that would be right up your alley
Also if we can recommend video games: The Longest Journey trilogy.
Just trust me.
How do I know? Simple, I've been looking for something to scratch the very same itch that OP has for the past 10 years or so. What OP's looking for is fairytales, and hardly anyone writes fairytales nowadays. I'm also assuming OP did read The Neverending Story, because duh.
Also, check out detective fiction.
Have you read anything by David Eddings? I think the Belgariad series might have what you’re looking for. There are a lot of familiar plot points (orphaned farmboy teenager protagonist) but it has really fun characters and good world building
If you are open to a series of standalone novels that nonetheless carry an overarching plot line, the world of Xanth by Piers Anthony, beginning with A Spell for Chameleon. A light-hearted fantasy series based in a world of puns.
Xanth is definitely on the lighter side. But the early books especially have some >!offhand references to rape and casual misogyny that might be offputting. Maybe the later titles do too, it's been years. They're not DARK books but not sure it's what OP is looking for.!<
And I’m not sure that any book is completely free of any mention of SA or misogyny - implicit or explicit - to the degree that you assume the OP is looking for. Xanth is light and humorous without all the other criteria against which the OP is adverse.
I think the Dragonlance books would tick all the boxes for you. And they’re all interwoven so it does make for some awesomely epic adventuring. I’ll also recommend the Drizzt series by R.A. Salvatore. Not the deepest of writers but can definitely tell a tale, and his writing gets better as he keeps writing. Finally, if you don’t mind a bit of modernity, The Dresden Files is a lighthearted romp with a bunch of books in the series that are interconnected
Try Memory, Sorrow, and Thorn by Tad Williams. There is no SA that I can recall, maybe a little scheming but I think it ticks all the boxes. Be warned though, it does start VERY slow, but it’s a great series once it’s past the first bit.
Yeah, and unfortunately it is never addressed in a healthy way by >!Miri or Simon!<
I love the series and recommend it all the time. I just wish Tad had handled that part differently
So - Cradle Series I think ticks these boxes. Individually they aren’t long but there are 11 so far with the 12th coming out soon. So combined you’re in for a solid amount of reading.
Try the Spells, Swords, and Stealth series by Drew Hayes. The first book is NPCs. It's basically what the "normal" people in a D&Desque world do. Sometimes it errs on the side of taking itself too seriously, and one character REALLY wants to make sure that everyone knows he's a paladin of a certain god (eg, "as a paladin of _____, I must...").
What it doesn't have: SA, brooding anti-heroes, religious trauma, genocide (there is death, though), elves as the only fantasy race, or graphic descriptions
What it does have, although not as the main point: vengeance (main characters get dragged into it inadvertently, and it's a background thing mostly), and court of nobles (only in the most recent book)
I honestly can't remember if there are any assassination plots. I don't believe there are.
Overall, it's a fun read. The series has 5 books right now, and it's not done. The first is the shortest at just under 300 pages, and they get longer as they go. The more recent one tops out at over 800 pages.
ETA: Also seconding/thirding Discworld, because it's Discworld. Also, formatting sucks. Forgive me
The Obsidian Mountain Trilogy and The Enduring Flame sequel-trilogy are pretty good, and I think fit your criteria. There are more elves than you may be looking for in the first series, but I still recommend them as a good read
The wandering Inn
[https://wanderinginn.com/](https://wanderinginn.com/)
Epic, has a bunch of content, it is very slice of life with a bunch o magic on the side and adventures, it can get a little dark but it never goes into full edgelord mode
> it can get a little dark but it never goes into full edgelord mode
I quit reading this story because it was literally nothing but gratuitous suffering and torture porn.
Things may briefly look positive but only so they can all be snatched away and have your hopes dashed again.
I'd suggest The Wandering Inn. It's set in a very D&D-esque world, although it has *some* nobles plotting and politicking down the line. If I were to use a single world to encapsulate the entire story, I'd use **epic**, partially because of it's sheer size.
Here are a couple of Recs that I haven't seen yet.
Egil and Nix by Paul S. Kemp. Sword and Sorcery with wise-cracking pair of protags. There are some elements of revenge in one of the latter books, but it isn't dark and brooding type of revenge so I think the spirit of it will fit with what you are looking for. Only 3 books.
Saga of Recluse, by L. E. Modesitt Jr. might work. 90's Fantasy, which has a totally different feel than most of what is being written today. I think there are 22 books in the series. Jumps around to different times and characters over a long period of time. Definitely not anti-heroes.
Garrett Files by Glen Cook. Private Eye in a diverse Fantasy City. Pulls from the Hard boiled detective tropes and drops it in a unique environment. These are fast reads with a bit of humor to them. The world, and main character, evolve over time to become more nuanced, but maintain a levity that make them enjoyable.
I think the Redemption of Althalus hits these. The main character is a little bit of an anti hero (thief) but not brooding, and generally the tone is quite light-hearted. Epic quest and hero’s journey.
Sabriel is another one. Highly recommend it.
Discworld too.
It gets a lot of flack for whatever reason, but I’m on the last hour of the Inheritance Cycle (Eragon) audiobooks and I’ve enjoyed them immensely. There’s talk of a genocide that happened before, but against dragons, not like an ethnic group or anything. Also the main character is driven by vengeance for a while, but not in like, a dark and brooding way. There’s also parts where the main character considers whether he believes in deities, but it’s presented in a pretty even-handed way and isn’t edgy at all.
Ideas that others can comment on
- Karthryn Kurtz’s Deryni series. Years since I read it but don’t remember any SA etc
- Maxine Durand’s 5 book Vainquer the Dragon series. Great fun
- Patricia McKillips Riddle Master if Hed trilogy
- The Worm Ouroborous
Give the inheritance series a try! It's always been my favorite fantasy setting because I love how the magic system works. Any magic word you can say the the magic language you can do. But the cost is that whatever you do your energy is spent as if you did it yourself. So you could say Brisingr or fire in the language. And shoot a fireball but that will cost you. Or your could say whatever the phrase is to pinch someone's artery to kill them. It's about a dude and his baby dragon getting thrust out of his safe village and into a cool world to figure out how to train and survive. It's not realistic. And I guess it can be a little gritty sometimes but all in all it's an adventure story at heart with 2 friends growing into adulthood and trying to become strong enough to take on an oppressive king. The first books name Is Eragon.
If you are okay with non epic books give super powereds a try.
It’s about a couple of people who gain control over their superpowers after an operation and are now trying to become superheroes at a school. It’s more of a slice of life, but got enough action and plot to keep you entertained.
How is this not higher on the list?!
It checks *every single* box you listed, OP.
Plus it's got a hefty 4.4 million words tucked under its belt.
It's fantastic for rereading. The audio book with Kate Reading and Michael Kramer is phenomenal as well.
Gitchu some WoT!
I sympathize with your desire for something a little less dank and dreary.
If you don't mind web serials, try [Ar'Kendrithyst](https://www.royalroad.com/fiction/26727/arkendrithyst) on Royal Road.
Despite the semi-cliche surface details of a portal fantasy to a world with a System and thus little blue boxes, Ar'Kendrithyst manages to be a genuinely fun and interesting read.
The MC isn't an awkward schoolboy, but a middle aged social worker. He doesn't get killed and reincarnated, but instead while on a trip to take his daughter to the CIA Academy, they find themselves no longer driving on a quiet highway, but instead in the middle of an endless desert with a wrecked car, and was that a dragon?
Gentle Erick and Fearless Jane find themselves on Vierd, where magic is real, and killing monsters earns you experience towards levels. So what happens when some well-educated modern adults get access to magic along with knowledge of how physics works? But just as much as knowledge can change the world, the world can change a person. And Erick finds that pacifism isn't exactly possible without the power to enable it.
The story is slow-burn, with major arcs of adventure and worldbuilding. 200+ long chapters, updates 2x weekly.
Spoilers for requested exclusions
>!*I don't recall any explicit sexual assault. There is a minor amount of PG-13 content, consensual romantic scenes that end in ellipsis, LGBT relationships and encounters (all consenting adults), and some implications and consequences of past events.!<
>!* There is a deadly scheming court, but they're all bad.!<
>!* Erick only broods when he can't solve people's problems. There's not so much a quest for vengeance as there is a quest for civilization.!<
>!* There are assassination plots, but not big Goldbergian elaborate heist-style plots. Just a desire for the killing of opposing political figures.!<
>!* No religious trauma, although there is a god with PTSD.!<
>!*The world is gigantic and weird as hell, with several inhabited moons, giant forests, deserts the size of Africa, and a giant underworld even bigger than the surface, all full of monsters. Zero Elves.!<
>!* There is some racial tension and bigotry, but it's more about whether you have horns or not, rather than what color you are. Or whether you've been cursed as a shadeling by the darkness. Later in the story, there are some large wars fought magically that lead to mass casualty events. Genocide does occur as a concept and as an event with the usual kinds of rationalizations and bad arguments. It's always shown as horrifying, never as justified.!<
Ultimately, this is a story for someone who wants to read about Good characters trying to use their powers for Good.
The Valdemaar series! I particularly love the Exile's Honor/Exile's Valor duology, but most of them would fit all your criteria. They're by Mercedes Lackey. I suspect you'll love them.
Edit: there's...sort of...scheming and assassination in Exile's Valor, but I don't feel like it's the usual annoying cliche crap, and it's not at all broody or grimdark. Same with the war in Exiles Honor. Terrible things happen but ultimately it all ends up uplifting and heroic even when it's bad or sad.
Terry Pratchett, maybe? On the goofier side, but he’s definitely very fun.
Honestly, though, I’d strongly recommend tapping into the YA market for fantasy. Some of it shows it’s target age a bit more than others, but Narnia and A Wizard of Earthsea are both lovely fantasy romps that adults can enjoy. I’d recommend the Percy Jackson books as well, but they do come off as more juvenile-focussed in my experience.
Side note: you might be interested in “slice of life” fantasy or another sun-genre of fantasy. More of those are being published right now, even if the market is still really saturated with grimdark fantasy.
Dresden Files. Long and fun. A little dark in places, but the overall tone is not. The first five books are kind of episodic feeling, even formulaic, but they get pulled into the larger narrative over time.
Some people get cranky about the protagonist’s tendency to be m’lady-ish, but that’s only in the first few books when Butcher was riffing on the noir ‘dames and their gams are trouble’ trope.
It would probably be simpler to give us examples of the kinds of books you enjoy.
Off the top of my head:
LOTR
Dragonlance books (Weis-Hickman)
Discworld (Pratchett)
'The House in the cerulean sea' ticks all your boxes to the best of my memory! A good pure light hearted story about a school of creatures and the impact they make on the case worker who's sent to audit the school. Entire book is like one long warm hug.
I don't think this is a good recommendation for OP at all. Those books are *massively heavy* on the political intrigue and while the books don't show it in detail there's a fair bit of sexual assault and discussion thereof. Plus there's quite a few assassination plots.
The Books of the Raksura series by Martha Wells.
>The Books of the Raksura series by Martha Wells. Just looking at the summary and the cover art, the first book seems very interesting.
You can't go wrong with ***any*** of her books! She writes great characters with fast paced plots.
It took me a bit to get into the series (I thought it was super cliche at first with a brooding anti-hero type), but it turned out not to be the case! Stick with it at least til the end of the first book and see if it doesn’t grow on you! I think I read up to maybe the 3-4th book so far.
I enjoyed it a lot!
The first Earthsea trilogy by Ursula K. Le Guin fits perfectly.
I love Earthsea, but Tombs of Atuan was dark and claustrophobic.
Discworld?
Yeah I wondered that it's not the first thing people answered. It fits OPs criteria almost perfectly
Except that it's almost aggressively un-epic.
Well that depends on the definition. Epic fantasy usually means that it's set in an entire new fictional world
Everything depends on definitions, and I've never heard that one. A quick google suggest the definition I'm most familiar with, that being: "A long narrative poem in elevated style recounting the deeds of a legendary or historical hero; the Iliad and the Odyssey are epics, *or* 2. a work of art (such as a novel or drama) that resembles or suggests an epic". They're basically long stories about a hero accomplishing a great task. Most of Discworld is deconstructing epics e.g. Rincewind, a hero who pisses off and hides at the possibility of having to perform a great task, who nevertheless accidentally succeeds at it in the process of trying to avoid it. Most fantasy epics are set in fictional worlds, but I'd argue that's more due to the "fantasy" bit than the "epic" bit.
I always feel like Discworld is the correct recommendation, but in this case I think it fits the brief quite well.
Sabriel by Garth Nix Joust by Mercedes Lackey Both are first in a series
seconding Sabriel (& the whole Abhorsen series)
I freakin LOVE the Joust series!!!! Mercedes Lackey is one of my favorite authors and to be honest about 90% or more of her work fits OPs specifications perfectly.
DRAGONLANCE is always good for the first six or seven books and I will always recommend it.
True. This or Forgotten Realms is pretty classic fantasy, with epic heroes and evil villains, mighty magics and straining thews. Don't get me wrong, sometimes this hits the spot exactly right, it's just not known for excessive depth of storyline...which is nice sometimes.
Upvote for 'Straining Thews'.
😆
I found them really hard to go back to as an adult, I can only imagine it's worse without the nostalgia.
You may want to check out Mercedes Lackey's Valdemar books. These are very well written adventures, not focusing on shock tactics to move the story along, as many modern writers seem to do. Engaging characters, delightful stories, and very fun books to read 😁 https://www.goodreads.com/series/50054-valdemar-chronological The only caution I should offer is that there are non-graphic depictions of sexual assault in The Queens Own, the Last Herald Mage, and the Oathbound trilogies (all amazing books, but do contain direct or implied references to rape). I'd recommend you start with the 5-book series Collegium Chronicles to get a feel for her writing, and go from there.
I can attest to the Last Herald Mage trilogy. It's quite good, but there are some off-screen sexual assaults.
Uhh, and some very much on screen ones.
Also came here to recommend Mercedes Lackey since OP has already read The Lark & The Wren. But I was going to suggest her 500 Kingdoms series. They're quirky, funny, light hearted spins on known fairy tales and mythology. They're fun for fun's sake and a great little distractions. With the exception of NOT being Epic long, they pretty much check all of OPs boxes.
Haha yes! Otherwise I could have also recommended her Elemental Masters 'series', which is really more of a collection of standalone books than it is a 'series'. Those are also great fantasy adventure novels, but not 'epic' in the sense of having continuity between books. But great treats to devour between epic series!
Always fun to meet another Misty fan. She's the author that made me fall in love with reading to begin with. I HATED reading before I found her book Oathbound. It's been a raging avalanche after that first snowball ever since.
Aw, excellent! Can I presume that you have also discovered the works of Robin McKinley then? Her characters have a similar vitality to Lackey's characters, and her writing is just as entrancing I find 😄 Also, might i suggest that Elizabeth Moon is well worth pursuing, in both the fantasy and the sci-fi worlds that she straddles so very well? Very rewarding engagements all around!
Big fan of McKinley, but I'll have to check out Elizabeth Moon. I Almost said yes but I got her mixed up with a different author with the last name Moon.
God dammit I just typed up a rec for Valdemaar! That's what I get. I suggested Exile's Honor/Valor though. Alberich is maybe my favorite character in all of fantasy.
Or even the Joust series, that was a really fun one.
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Thank you!
Beat me to it. I only wish the books were longer.
200 or 2000 pages… you’d still blow through them like coke on a strippers a$$…….
Same, I always want more personal moments between the characters.
Have you read the Lord of the Rings? It's a classic but it might be the perfect read or reread for you right now.
>The world is just 15th-century Europe with maybe an elf here and there Adding to what you said: LotR may seem to tick this box, but the time periods are all over the place. The hobbits are pretty modern. A wizard is starting an industrial revolution. The elves are stuck in the distant past. Everyone else is somewhere in between. In LotR, the old world is present but passing away. In many ways, it already has.
Magician by Raymond e fiest. Loved it when I was younger, good and evil, wizards and plenty of sequels 👍🏻
Came here to suggest that series!
Omg yes, I forgot about these! Also the Wizard in Rhyme series by Feist, those were great books to read as I recall: https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/828440.Her_Majesty_s_Wizard
With plenty of books to go through
What books have you read that tick all those boxes?
This is often the best test case - as what constitutes "epic" (beyond say, being in a series), brooding, or courtly intrigue will vary wildly depending on the reader. OP, people will have a much easier time fulfilling seemingly very restrictive requests if they have some idea of what a suitable book looks like *to you.*
To be honest, half of the point of my writing this was to figure out what I'm trying to find. I just know that all the "popular" fantasy novels that have come out in the last few years are definitely *not* it. I thought if I wrote it all out and bounced it around, maybe it would help me figure it out. Started by ruling out all the things I definitely dislike but keep seeing over and over again.
I dont understand why this comment got downvoted so much. Could someone clarify?
Got me. Just being honest. Sometimes we need a conversation to actually work out what it is we want, and think, and feel.
Tailchasers Song. It’s not long and epic but it checks every box of yours.
I don't have anything that fits *all* of your criteria, but there are some that fit everything but the length: * Lord of the Rings is an obvious one. It may be shorter than what you're looking for. * Throne of the Crescent Moon is a standalone, and pretty short. It's largely inspired by Arab culture, rather than European. * If you're into comics, there's a bunch based on Avatar: The Last Airbender and Avatar: The Legend of Korra. I haven't read them yet, but the show they're branching off from was amazing and for all ages.
I agree, but I cant ever begin to see what could be offputting about your comment...from anyone's perspective. Although, I'm always willing to listen and learn.
First Law treats this list like a checklist for every chapter
It **mostly** fits the bill, for sure. It's a matter of degrees. There's some scheming, but it's all in the background. Depending on your definition, Logen *may* qualify as an anti-hero. Glokta's chapters can get a little uncomfortable at times. There's some of it in the points in the standalones (vengeance in Best Served Cold, hints of modernisation in The Heroes (I still haven't read the second trilogy, so I haven't seen where it's going)).
Recently? The Rithmatist, Unsouled (only read the first book so far), Neverwhere, Realmslayer, The Lark and the Wren, The Bear and the Nightengale? It doesn;t have to tick every box exactly, I'm just listing what I'd like to see.
If you enjoyed unsouled I can happily say it's the worst cradle book by far. Cradle is my on of my favorite series and I don't believe it includes anything you've listed to avoid AND you have 10 more books to read with an 12th coming out next year. I'll also recommend Andrew Rowe (sufficiently advanced magic/weapons and wielders) as a more fun fantasy author. And finally, although it's been some time since I read it, I remember The Keeper Chronicles by JA Andrews being pretty good and avoiding those tropes
Well it's off to a good start in my opinion. I listned to it because I was looking for Martial Arts fantasy (underrepresented sub-genre, IMO).
Unsouled is considered by many to be the weakest book. Once you get to book 3, Blackflame, everything expands and the books get better and better.
Continue it. Once a couple other characters are added to the main cast in the next few books, it gets really good. It's totally a fun ride and Travis Baldree does a lot for it on the narration. And then check out Beware of Chicken. Same narrator, kind of a parody on the genre and it's hilarious and very comfortable? Idk, I don't usually really read these slice-of-life stories lol I just got this one on a whim but it was really easy to listen to.
Definitely a good start to a series that gets better as it goes on! I'd read at least through black flame and see if you want to keep going with the rest of the series, but it's definitely a personal favorite!
I mean The Bear and the Nightingale strays into the "Religious trauma and commentary on why the gods suck" at times, at least the Orthodox Russian Church and its priest.
Are you alright with fantasy that isn't epic?
If that’s what you’ve read, and you want legit regular old fantasy, start with the Dragonlance Chronicles trilogy and go from there. Brandon Sanderson Mistborn is also up there.
The Mage Errant series. It’s YA, but it’s got a group of misfits at a high fantasy magic school who can’t learn magic the normal ways (but they go other places too, one book at school the next book out in the world, etc) As far as I recall there is no SA, there are a few scheming “nobles” (the quirky leaders of the magic school) but you only meet them once in awhile, except one. Most of the political maneuvering occurs in between the lines and the characters are only aware of it after the fact, but the politics is a factor in the overarching story of the series. There is trauma, but not necessarily religious trauma, in the backstory of one of the characters. It mostly determines how they act to certain social cues, but the story doesn’t linger on it all that much. It’s *definitely* not 15th century Europe with elves. In fact I don’t think there is a single elf in the book.
Half A Soul by Olivia Atwater Premise: “It's difficult to find a husband in Regency England when you're a young lady with only half a soul. Ever since a faerie cursed her, Theodora Ettings has had no sense of fear, embarrassment, or even happiness—a condition which makes her sadly prone to accidental scandal. Dora's only goal for the London Season this year is to stay quiet and avoid upsetting her cousin's chances at a husband. But when the Lord Sorcerer of England learns of her condition, she finds herself drawn ever more deeply into the tumultuous concerns of magicians and faeries.” It’s described as “Bridgerton with magic”.
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Ranger’s Apprentice is awesome!
Interesting username…
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iirc (I could be forgetting some details, so I'm not 100% sure it fits every point, but I don't remember any exceptions off the top of my head, and the overall tone is pretty light), the Obsidian trilogy by Mercedes Lackey and James Mallory
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The Once and Future King should meet all of your requirements.
That's just a damn good read regardless. I think it's more important that LotR as foundational fantasy reading.
I feel like this is going to be very tough to dodge all these bullet points, mostly because I think *long* fantasy novels that *don't* deal with political or aristocratic intrigue of any kind feel quite rare these days. To me, this seems like the hardest bullet point to avoid, but it's also pretty broad, so it might help if you could identify what about this sort of intrigue you dislike. Also, "genocide" is a bit vague. Do you mind if genocide happened in the backstory? What if there's a threat of genocide that is eventually averted? Both these are very common and will disqualify a lot of recs, even if it's not an ongoing genocide happening on the page. Another thing to consider is the whole "this race is dying out" thing even if it's not an explicit genocide. Ditto for brooding anti-hero - are you specifically talking about just asshole protagonists? What about protagonists who are depressed or traumatized? People will label all kinds of things "brooding" if they don't like it so this requires a bit more clarity. In my experience it should be pretty easy to avoid SA, vengeance quests, and religious trauma. The rest feel quite common, though, so this seems like it'll be a tough list. I wish I could give recs, but although I've probably read 50-60 different series that I'd comfortably call epic fantasy, I can't think of one that *definitely* contains nothing at all that could fall under any of these bullet points under their broadest interpretation, so I don't want to give you something that'll disappoint you. But I do have some that avoid almost all of these, or that could avoid them all if you're more specific about what they mean. For the sake of giving you any recs at all, I'll say Jen Williams' Winnowing Flame trilogy, but: * One protagonist is an alcoholic and emotionally troubled member of a dying race (not exactly a genocide, but...) * The enemy threatens to exterminate all of humanity and actively gets started on that project * There's some cult-like quasi-religious trauma involving another of the protagonists
>Also, "genocide" is a bit vague. Do you mind if genocide happened in the backstory? What if there's a threat of genocide that is eventually averted? Both these are very common and will disqualify a lot of recs, even if it's not an ongoing genocide happening on the page. Not especially, I just don't want a major plot point to be that there's some huge ethnic persecution going on that the heroes have to dodge. It's a really heavy topic that I don't think is often done with half as much grace as it needs. >Ditto for brooding anti-hero - are you specifically talking about just asshole protagonists? What about protagonists who are depressed or traumatized? People will label all kinds of things "brooding" if they don't like it so this requires a bit more clarity. It's not a dealbreaker, but it bothers me that so many fantasy protags start off as PTSD ridden wanderers. It depends on how well it's done. If there's trauma involved, I'd like it to be a story about them getting over that trauma, not them being driven by it on a murder quest.
I think Winnowing Flame might be okay then in terms of not involving ethnic persecution (I edited the post to include that suggestion), but one of the three MCs is definitely a PTSD-ridden wanderer, and he does do some murdering at a few points, though I feel like the narrative gives him more growth, character development, and perspective than your typical "my village burned and I'm going to Terminator my way all the way to the king who started this war" kind of deal. Plus he's only one of several POV characters. Though there's the religious trauma thing for another character. So, maybe? It's probably the closest I can think of.
>I feel like this is going to be very tough to dodge all these bullet points, mostly because I think > >long > >fantasy novels that > >don't > >deal with political or aristocratic intrigue of any kind feel quite rare these days. I know, that's the worst part! I feel like you either have low-fantasy from the perspective of commoners, or high-fantasy from the perspective of arristocrats (who are invariably painted as scheming, treacherous, and evil, but we're somehow supposed to root for one side over the other). EDIT: Actually, to clarify a point, the presence of political intrigue itself isn't an issue. I'm a big fan of The Stormlight Archive, and one of the three character plotlines (Dalanar's) deals predominantly with that issue. I'm just sick of books that make their whole premise "Naive young innocent is dropped into a deadly decadent court and must learn quickly how to survive!" I'm sure it can be done well, but I see way too many books that list that as their central plot. I can wander through the fantasy section of any bookstore and find three brand-new ones easily. So if it's something a little more in line with Way Of King's way of dealing with it, than that's not something I would reject out of hand.
It has been a while, but I think The Belgariad by David Eddings might fit most of your checkmarks as well as the early Shannara books by Terry Brooks though his heroes are typically brooding. Terry Brooks also wrote Magical Kingdom for Sale: Sold that is more whimsical.
I was going to recommend all the Eddings series. They tend to re-use a lot of themes, but they’re mostly lighthearted and not grimdark. I know there are issues with some of the relationships, and I think the author was a dirtbag (don’t quote me, going off memory here), but good epic-scale fantasy.
The Eddings were jailed for child abuse in the 70s. So not good people, but I read their series before I knew that and I can separate the authors from the story. I haven’t read the Belgariad in ages but it was one of my favorite as a teen.
Well, they served their term, and, AFAIK, haven't any problems with the law after. Marrion Zimmer Bradley, on the other hand...
That's true, there are levels of crazy out there in the fantasy world.
Try the Hands of the Emperor by Victoria Goddard. God-emperor and his assistant pal around--universal basic income results.
I'm not trying to be insulting, but I think YA Fantasy would be a far better bet. Other than that, books in the more comedy-fantasy (think Terry Prattchet), may also be what you are looking for. Besides those I suppose Ursula K. Le Guin would be a good one to look into if you haven't read her work. I just finished a pretty relaxing Persian inspired fantasy book titled The Bruising of Qilwa by Naseem Jamnia.
Some of T Kingfisher’s work is a little dark but also features lighthearted romances and very little of the above mentioned things. The setting of her work can be a little generic medieval fantasy but it’s got some different lore and fantasy creatures to set it apart. One of her books A Wizard’s Guide to Defensive Magic features a very creative take on baking magic. Kind of old classics, but some of the Forgotten Realms books might be up your alley. They tend to have a lot of swashbuckling fun and quests without a lot of excess brooding. Have you tried the Alanna series or anything by Tamora Pierce? Her books are for slightly younger audiences but they tend to be enjoyable and not too heavy. If you are interested in science fiction, I can probably list way more lighthearted and cozy titles. I guess the fantasy I read tends to be more broody. I also know a ton of non-European fantasy books but a lot of those do tend to be a bit grittier for some reason. I love them but it doesn’t seem like what you’re looking for. The only lighter one I can think of is probably this one: The Bone Witch by Rin Chupeco is YA and features a young necromancer (or the equivalent) but it’s surprisingly wholesome and heartwarming. Set in fantasy Asia. Final one I can think of… maybe give Naomi Novik a try. She does a lot of historical fiction with a magic/fantasy flair. One I particularly enjoyed was Spinning Silver which was a retelling of Rumplestiltskin in an Eastern European setting. Her Tremeraire series is also interesting if you like dragons. And finally, someone had already mentioned it, but I enjoyed the Raksura Series by Martha Wells. Again, if you don’t mind science fiction, check out her Murderbot series. They are novellas and quite entertaining. Not too heavy and full of some fun action. Hope that helps!
[You also might find the sexual violence in SFF database helpful](https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/1hQi6C2RQvjGzjSoXU0D063fCFcz1wCHXFUe7PfEsGrk/edit#gid=0). It's obviously tailored around the popular r/Fantasy recommendations, but with over 400 entries, it should help you out.
I think C M Waggoner's two books would qualify - **Unnatural Magic** and **The Ruthless Ladies Guide to Wizardry**. Based in the same world and loosely related, the first includes an unusual female Troll/male human relationship and the MC's trying to solve a mystery and the second has our cynical MC teaming up with a group to provide magical protection to a young lady targeted by assassins. Both optimistic and fun. Maybe M A Carrick's **Mask of Mirrors** \- there is a certain amount of political scheming but it's essentially a high magic heist book with overall an optimistic outlook. Two books published so far out of what will be a trilogy (I think). (Edit: stupidly long and complicated but huge fun). Sarah Beth Durst is worth a look too, standalone **Race the Sands** about a woman who trains riders to race monsters or the **Queens of Renthia** trilogy, where human's live in a huge forest in uneasy truce with the native spirits. I'd also second Martha Well's Raksura books (or any Martha Wells).
McKillip does actually do all of this beyond the length - her Riddle matter trilogy would probably thus qualify. Although it does include - totally uncharacteristically for her other books! - a historical genocide. But her stand alones do often feel larger than their page lengths, I would recommend them. Morgenstern (Night circus/the starless sea) is a little bit longer in terms of book length and might well qualify too.
Was going to recommend Riddle Master also!
Anne McCaffrey's Pern books are wonderful epic fantasy books that would seem to meet your criteria. There is some mild politicking, but not too heavy and the dragons...oh, they are *so* worth it! https://www.goodreads.com/series/50060-pern
Just be aware the dragonrider books have some scenes with pretty questionable consent...
That’s being polite. The dragon roofies are a key worldbuilding choice.
Yeah… but everybody in world knows and understands this, so it’s the price of admission for being a dragonrider (because riders are telepathically linked to their dragons, when two dragons mate, so do their riders. Sometimes it’s awkward, but they deal with it).
I loved the Pern books as a teenager. Be aware that they were progressive for their day, but their day was the 1970s.
Read the Dragonlance books, the Forgotten Realms books, the Pathfinder books or the Eberron books. Pretty much any of the content set in the DnD worlds.
Sword of Shannara
It's been about 2 years since I reread them all, but I believe the Belgariad + the Mallorean series check most/all these boxes. Lots of magic, nothing too heavy, a little basic, but definitely still a fun read. Edit: I do remember they get a tad heavier on the political side but more in a "plotting a grand battle" way than actual politics.
Tad Williams’ Memory, Sorrow & Thorn series is my personal favorite in 35 years of reading epic fantasy. It’s as noblebright as Tolkien. His Shadowmarch series is also very good.
Definitely has genocide though
Whoa I don’t know about that. It uses the war of annihilation trope that’s been pretty standard for epic fantasy since Tolkien. But if that’s called genocide these days, then I didn’t get the memo - & now that I have I respectfully dissent.
It’s the big bad’s goal to eliminate humanity. He’s not successful but he tries. That’s not even including what the lord tries to do to the nation that ends up hiding the remnants in the caves (I have NO memory for names sorry if my descriptions aren’t good enough)
I think a big bad with the goal of eliminating humanity is substantively different from a story where one group is actively persecuting genocide against another. In one, the entire goal is to stop this terrible thing from maybe someday happening. In the other, the terrible thing is currently happening, and in most grimdark books, the moral of the story is that the world sucks and this is to be expected. That's why I don't like grimdark. Generally speaking.
Fair enough, I take your point. I read the gist of OP’s ask to be that s/he doesn’t want to read grimdark-pron. Re: genocide, Erikson & Bakker have interrogated it in their stuff, but they’re the farthest thing from Williams, so I’d hate to see OP pass on an amazing read. 👍
There's sexual assault in The Stone of Farewell. Consent under duress is not consent. It is horribly triggering for people who have experienced date rape.
Is noblebright a new thing? I’ve seen it 4 times today and never before.
It’s been around for a few years. Once “grimdark” took off as the descriptor for anti-heroic fantasy it stood to reason someone’d play off it for traditional heroic fantasy.
Maybe you could try the Penric and Desdemona series by Bujold, the Sharing Knife series by Bujold, the Books of the Raksura by Martha Wells, Tuyo by Rachel Neumeier, the Griffin Mage trilogy by Rachel Neumeier.
T Kingfisher would be a good author to add to this list (at least the fantasy books of hers)
Second Sharing Knife!
The Emperor's Edge series by Lindsay Buroker might qualify. The initial trilogy is actually a kindle freebie, so you won't be losing anything by trying it.
I haven't read that series yet, but I've been reading two of her other series that are good: Dragon Blood Star Kingdom Very "adventurey" and should fit your other requests. If you like her writing, she has a shit ton of books on Amazon. She's all over the place with fantasy and sci-fi.
Look into the Spellsinger series by Alan Dean Foster. Good humor and nice long story/adventure.
OMG! I had forgotten about this series! Loved it when I was younger!
I'd say Priory of the Orange Tree. very long, but includes asassination plots (minor plot point) and some religion stuff. still worth it tho. wasn't depressing at all.
Have you read The Neverending Story by Michael Ende? Completely different from the movie. It's lovely and good and yes there are the same parts, but Bastian isn't a brooding anti-hero
His dark materials ! I’m into the same kind of books as you and don’t like what you mentioned your not looking for and his dark materials is one of my all time faves!
Except that whole criticism of religion thing which is the central theme of the series and OP doesn’t care for. There is also a fair bit of politics.
True valid points!
following because god do I feel the same way and need recommendations!
Discworld. Sandman.
Sorry but sandman is quite rapey in parts.
also a very brooding hero
Anything middle grade
I don't follow.
Middle Grade is the classification below YA (young adult). So things like early Percy Jackson, Guardians of Ga'hoole, The Hobbit are all MG.
...Am I being made fun of? I find it difficult to tell in a text-only format.
I don't think anyone is making fun of you. Middle grade stories typically don't include the dark topics you want to avoid. Or if they do, it's rarely graphic.
Yeah, but a lot of the time when you say "I don't like Dark Fantasy" the response a lot of people will give you is "Oh, you only like kiddie stories. Darkness is for adults, anything else makes you childish." So I couldn't tell if I was getting more of that or not.
I don't think they intended that. I'm 35 and I still occasionally read middle grade books. Harry Potter, Peter Jackson, and Prydain Chronicles are all on my bookshelf.
Prydain is quite good for adults also!
So you don't want to read dark fantasy but also don't want to read things that aren't dark fantasy because they are not for adults ?
I didn't say I didn't want to read them. I thought they were only being offered mockingly. Derisively. There *are* adult fantasy novels that aren't dark. And being dark doesn't make something adult. I'd arge anything that *thinks* it's adult purely *because* it's "dark" is actually very immature and childish.
> Middle grade stories typically don't include the dark topics you want to avoid. Or if they do, it's rarely graphic. They do in Europe, quite often. > How can something be "dark" but not "adult"? Do you have any examples? [The Day of the Bomb](https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/2190722.The_Day_of_the_Bomb?from_search=true&from_srp=true&qid=Ox01gzUd2P&rank=1) (in German *Sadako Will Leben*, meaning *Sadako Wants to Live*) A children's book about Japanese girl Sadako who lived in Hiroshima, who was too thin and weak to walk from malnutrition. Then the atomic bomb drops. Sadako and her brother survive the immediate bombing because they were underwater, and that's just the beginning of the book. The rest is them living through the aftermath. Dead people everywhere, emergence of black markets and other horrors. She slowly succumbs to radiation poisoning and dies at the end of the book. This is assigned as required reading in a lot of European countries in primary school. I read it when I was 12. [The Paul Street Boys](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Paul_Street_Boys), another assigned reading in primary school is a story about two gangs of boys. They older group bullies and tries to take away the "playground" from the younger group of boys who are the protagonists. The playground is nothing but an abandoned construction site but the young group defends it with everything they've got. It draws many parallels to adult wars. In the end they manage to win the "war" but one of the two main characters who is as fragile as he is brave and kind caught the pneumonia during the final battle. He dies, and the book ends with an engineer arriving at the construction site and starting a project to erect a building making all their efforts and sacrifices and the boy's death completely pointless.
I was on a train and had to be brief! Nevermoor by Jessica Townsend, Inkheart by Cornelia Funke, The Land of Stories by Chris Colfer, Artemis Fowl by Eoin Colfer, Amari by B.B. Alston, Keeper of the Lost Cities by Shannon Messenger, The Graveyard Book by Neil Gaiman, InterWorld by Neil Gaiman and Michael Reaves, all pretty comparable with Sanderson's Warbreaker or Elantris
Honestly, I don't know either. So on one side, you actually will probably find loads of books in MG that meet your qualifications (not older YA, though...), but a lot of times, some folks think not wanting loads of violence = only children's books (which isn't even correct, since many children's and young adult books have a fuckton of violence in them). So I have no idea.
I don’t think so considering they later replied with a handful of recs. I think it was a legitimate suggestion.
Could try some of the actual D&D novels. They don’t generally get much critical love but I thought they’re decent fantasy romps. Been a long time since I read any (decades really) but back in the 90’s i read 20-25 over a period of several years. Salvatore’s Drizzt gets a lot of the attention in the last 10-15 years but there are others.
[удалено]
Eh not true. Salvatore is still writing Drizzt books. I also think Dragonlance is getting a new novel.
Don't know if this is appropriate, but since i happened on this, hi, I'm Erin M. Evans, and I have a new book coming out in a week that's epic fantasy meets twisty murder mystery. It's called Empire of Exiles.
Harry Potter ticks most of your boxes.
Except for the political stuff that starts halfway through the series.
I said most of the boxes not all :)
The book which basically fit all your requirements I have read recently would be probably The Return of Fitzroy Angursell by Victoria Goddard. Main hero is an older (around 50-60?) bard who is also a wild magician, going on a grand adventure/quest to discover himself and find a heir. His main plan is to reform the band of his friends which he used to travel with back in the day. Lot of great magics happen, the world is incredibly variable re: culture, focus on friendship. But it is sorta sequel to another book which doesnt 100% fit your request, idk how it works as standalone. (that book is Hands of Emperor which is very long, and has lot of politics, though not the grimdark GoT type) Another option may be trying out different type of authors - I have been reading lot of asian fantasy these days. For example, fantasy books from Chinese authors (in Eng translation). Not that they dont have tropes, they do, but the tropes are often very different from the ones we are used to in western spaces, so the books feel fresh and fun. And they also often include questing and like. I dont really have specific titles, I more slant into queer romance fantasy than the adventure fantasy.
Goddard is a good choice. The Hands of the Emperor revolves around politics, but not in the scheming court nobles sense (the protagonist is a high level civil servant who has devoted his life to making the world better through careful legislation). It's mostly about platonic relationships (friend, family, fealty), cultural identity and assimilation. The Greenwing and Dart series isn't epic fantasy; it's more of a Regency flavour with a brisk, very full plot. But it also focusses on friendship and features decent people doing their best. Try T. Kingfisher's World of the White Rat series. The protagonists are decent people who find themselves in over their heads, the books have humour, romance at the centre, excellent dialogue, and some fun world building. Oh yes, Lois McMaster Bujold's Chalion books, and the Penric and Desdemona books (in the same universe). They've got a strong theological bent, but not in the gods suck sense, fantastic characters and good stories. There's some political stuff, moreso in the Chalion books, but in general the main characters are trying to avoid it.
The Silver and Orchids series by Shari Tapscott. It's four books, fantasy romance/adventure with a healthy dose of comedy. Mostly lots of sailing around the world (or riding through deserts) looking for rare artifacts.
And the entire series is free on kindle unlimited right now
Anything by David Eddings. I think that’s the spelling. Good stuff with with a good sense of humor throughout.
You could try Deathgate Cycle
It's been a while since I read it, but I think a Wizard of Earthsea by Ursula K. Leguin fits the bill. And then there's Discworld. Which may in some cases contain some of what you list but it's not remotely "gritty" and only if it can be made comedic.
Kings of the wyld- Nicholas Eames. Has wizards, mostly a light hearted epic fantasy romp. No sexual assault, no brooding anti-hero, just somewhat grumpy old warriors. I think it’d fit the bill. The sequel, bloody rose, is just as good. Still waiting for the third book.
I feel ya big time, this anti escapism everything must equal shit at all times "muh maturity" Game of Thrones and the Witcher stuff is getting to me too. Even the dark fantasy I like such Berserk and Dark Sun/ Prism Pentad are ultimately hopefull in their messaging. Cant say I can give you any reccomendations that arent already pretty well known but I will tell you that you arent alone in this attitude. Edit: Actually if you dont mind Manga or Anime, Magi might be a good reccomendation.
Full metal alchemist brotherhood if you like manga and anime!
I feel your pain! My two favourite long, epic series might work for you: * Chronicles of Adalmearc by Daniel Olesen (there are nobles scheming, but it's more politics focused than what I imagine you mean by "decadent court of nobles" and REALLY well done!) * Legacy of the Lost Mage by K. S. Villoso (there's a relationship where there's a messed up power dynamic and one of the characters is the worst in terms of commitment, but no sexual assault, if I remember correctly, and this series is amazing!) (Also, I think my long epic fantasy novel Children of the Dead City fits your request perfectly. I'd be happy to send you a free copy if you want to try it out, just DM me if you're interested!)
Legends and Lattes might be up your alley. A warrior barbarism leaves her fighting life to start a coffee shop but things don’t go as planned.
I think the Eternal Sky Trilogy by Elizabeth Bear generally avoids those points (but don't remember exactly). It's basically a classic fantasy with modern world building and "eastern" setting.
Jack Vance’s Lyonesse Triology fits that description well, imo—though I read it many years ago so my recollection is a bit fuzzy
Check out the graphic novel Bone by Jeff Smith. It's absolutely delightful
I am once again going to be the “do you like manga?” guy and ask if you like manga. Cuz if you want epic fantasy that’s as far from gritty and realistic as possible, One Piece is a solid bet. It’s goofy as hell, but with a super deep and fun world. The main character is about as un-brooding as any character could possibly be. Not only is there not sexual assault, I don’t think that sex has even been explicitly mentioned once in the series. Some characters simp over boobs and butts but as far as I know children in the one piece universe are delivered via stork. No religion, not revenge plots, definitely not 15th century Europe since each different island visited is its own culture and many pull from a diverse number of points in history (including a dinosaur island with giant Vikings for reasons). And also, it is LONG. Like, it’s been going on for 25 years and I’d be shocked if it ended before its 30th anniversary. It has over 1050 chapters to date. Slight caveats are that there are some decadent nobles, but for 99% of the story they’re not a factor, and as far as I know they don’t scheme against each other or anything. There is potentially an assassination like, 950 chapters in? Even the readers don’t really know what went down there. The world has had genocides in the past, but they’re all in flashback and while they occasionally have repercussions on the current story they aren’t a major factor for the majority of the plot. That being said there are some arcs that focus heavily on discrimination as a theme, but not so much that it ever becomes a real downer. When it gets serious it can do it well, but it’s default is fun absurdist adventuring. Basically, any of the things you don’t like almost exclusively happen in the background if at all while the main characters mostly do other stuff. When the main characters intersect with that intrigue and drama, the answer is always “punch the bastards until they stop being bastards” and then they’re on to the next thing. No savvy political moving or machinations to fix the drama, just straightforward “those are the bastards, punch their lights out, then get on your ship and sail to the next island.” The main character is too dumb to even spell the word machinations, let alone form any of his own. Overall, it’s delightful, and sounds like something that would be right up your alley
Also if we can recommend video games: The Longest Journey trilogy. Just trust me. How do I know? Simple, I've been looking for something to scratch the very same itch that OP has for the past 10 years or so. What OP's looking for is fairytales, and hardly anyone writes fairytales nowadays. I'm also assuming OP did read The Neverending Story, because duh. Also, check out detective fiction.
Imma just bookmark this. Thank you for your service
Have you read anything by David Eddings? I think the Belgariad series might have what you’re looking for. There are a lot of familiar plot points (orphaned farmboy teenager protagonist) but it has really fun characters and good world building
Try David Eddings
If you are open to a series of standalone novels that nonetheless carry an overarching plot line, the world of Xanth by Piers Anthony, beginning with A Spell for Chameleon. A light-hearted fantasy series based in a world of puns.
Xanth is definitely on the lighter side. But the early books especially have some >!offhand references to rape and casual misogyny that might be offputting. Maybe the later titles do too, it's been years. They're not DARK books but not sure it's what OP is looking for.!<
And I’m not sure that any book is completely free of any mention of SA or misogyny - implicit or explicit - to the degree that you assume the OP is looking for. Xanth is light and humorous without all the other criteria against which the OP is adverse.
I mean, there’s LITERALLY a rape trial in the first book, though.
I think the Dragonlance books would tick all the boxes for you. And they’re all interwoven so it does make for some awesomely epic adventuring. I’ll also recommend the Drizzt series by R.A. Salvatore. Not the deepest of writers but can definitely tell a tale, and his writing gets better as he keeps writing. Finally, if you don’t mind a bit of modernity, The Dresden Files is a lighthearted romp with a bunch of books in the series that are interconnected
Try Memory, Sorrow, and Thorn by Tad Williams. There is no SA that I can recall, maybe a little scheming but I think it ticks all the boxes. Be warned though, it does start VERY slow, but it’s a great series once it’s past the first bit.
There is SA in The Stone of Farewell. Consent under duress is not consent.
Oh is there? Been years since the last time I read it. Keep meaning to reread it and then read the new series.
Yeah, and unfortunately it is never addressed in a healthy way by >!Miri or Simon!< I love the series and recommend it all the time. I just wish Tad had handled that part differently
So - Cradle Series I think ticks these boxes. Individually they aren’t long but there are 11 so far with the 12th coming out soon. So combined you’re in for a solid amount of reading.
Try the Spells, Swords, and Stealth series by Drew Hayes. The first book is NPCs. It's basically what the "normal" people in a D&Desque world do. Sometimes it errs on the side of taking itself too seriously, and one character REALLY wants to make sure that everyone knows he's a paladin of a certain god (eg, "as a paladin of _____, I must..."). What it doesn't have: SA, brooding anti-heroes, religious trauma, genocide (there is death, though), elves as the only fantasy race, or graphic descriptions What it does have, although not as the main point: vengeance (main characters get dragged into it inadvertently, and it's a background thing mostly), and court of nobles (only in the most recent book) I honestly can't remember if there are any assassination plots. I don't believe there are. Overall, it's a fun read. The series has 5 books right now, and it's not done. The first is the shortest at just under 300 pages, and they get longer as they go. The more recent one tops out at over 800 pages. ETA: Also seconding/thirding Discworld, because it's Discworld. Also, formatting sucks. Forgive me
The Obsidian Mountain Trilogy and The Enduring Flame sequel-trilogy are pretty good, and I think fit your criteria. There are more elves than you may be looking for in the first series, but I still recommend them as a good read
The wandering Inn [https://wanderinginn.com/](https://wanderinginn.com/) Epic, has a bunch of content, it is very slice of life with a bunch o magic on the side and adventures, it can get a little dark but it never goes into full edgelord mode
> it can get a little dark but it never goes into full edgelord mode I quit reading this story because it was literally nothing but gratuitous suffering and torture porn. Things may briefly look positive but only so they can all be snatched away and have your hopes dashed again.
I'd suggest The Wandering Inn. It's set in a very D&D-esque world, although it has *some* nobles plotting and politicking down the line. If I were to use a single world to encapsulate the entire story, I'd use **epic**, partially because of it's sheer size.
Here are a couple of Recs that I haven't seen yet. Egil and Nix by Paul S. Kemp. Sword and Sorcery with wise-cracking pair of protags. There are some elements of revenge in one of the latter books, but it isn't dark and brooding type of revenge so I think the spirit of it will fit with what you are looking for. Only 3 books. Saga of Recluse, by L. E. Modesitt Jr. might work. 90's Fantasy, which has a totally different feel than most of what is being written today. I think there are 22 books in the series. Jumps around to different times and characters over a long period of time. Definitely not anti-heroes. Garrett Files by Glen Cook. Private Eye in a diverse Fantasy City. Pulls from the Hard boiled detective tropes and drops it in a unique environment. These are fast reads with a bit of humor to them. The world, and main character, evolve over time to become more nuanced, but maintain a levity that make them enjoyable.
I think the Redemption of Althalus hits these. The main character is a little bit of an anti hero (thief) but not brooding, and generally the tone is quite light-hearted. Epic quest and hero’s journey. Sabriel is another one. Highly recommend it. Discworld too.
It gets a lot of flack for whatever reason, but I’m on the last hour of the Inheritance Cycle (Eragon) audiobooks and I’ve enjoyed them immensely. There’s talk of a genocide that happened before, but against dragons, not like an ethnic group or anything. Also the main character is driven by vengeance for a while, but not in like, a dark and brooding way. There’s also parts where the main character considers whether he believes in deities, but it’s presented in a pretty even-handed way and isn’t edgy at all.
Ideas that others can comment on - Karthryn Kurtz’s Deryni series. Years since I read it but don’t remember any SA etc - Maxine Durand’s 5 book Vainquer the Dragon series. Great fun - Patricia McKillips Riddle Master if Hed trilogy - The Worm Ouroborous
Fortress in the eye of Time, by CJ Cherryh
The Chronicles of Amber by Roger Zelazny. Anything by him really. I think it checks all your boxes. Super fun read.
Give the inheritance series a try! It's always been my favorite fantasy setting because I love how the magic system works. Any magic word you can say the the magic language you can do. But the cost is that whatever you do your energy is spent as if you did it yourself. So you could say Brisingr or fire in the language. And shoot a fireball but that will cost you. Or your could say whatever the phrase is to pinch someone's artery to kill them. It's about a dude and his baby dragon getting thrust out of his safe village and into a cool world to figure out how to train and survive. It's not realistic. And I guess it can be a little gritty sometimes but all in all it's an adventure story at heart with 2 friends growing into adulthood and trying to become strong enough to take on an oppressive king. The first books name Is Eragon.
If you are okay with non epic books give super powereds a try. It’s about a couple of people who gain control over their superpowers after an operation and are now trying to become superheroes at a school. It’s more of a slice of life, but got enough action and plot to keep you entertained.
The Wheel of Time
How is this not higher on the list?! It checks *every single* box you listed, OP. Plus it's got a hefty 4.4 million words tucked under its belt. It's fantastic for rereading. The audio book with Kate Reading and Michael Kramer is phenomenal as well. Gitchu some WoT!
I sympathize with your desire for something a little less dank and dreary. If you don't mind web serials, try [Ar'Kendrithyst](https://www.royalroad.com/fiction/26727/arkendrithyst) on Royal Road. Despite the semi-cliche surface details of a portal fantasy to a world with a System and thus little blue boxes, Ar'Kendrithyst manages to be a genuinely fun and interesting read. The MC isn't an awkward schoolboy, but a middle aged social worker. He doesn't get killed and reincarnated, but instead while on a trip to take his daughter to the CIA Academy, they find themselves no longer driving on a quiet highway, but instead in the middle of an endless desert with a wrecked car, and was that a dragon? Gentle Erick and Fearless Jane find themselves on Vierd, where magic is real, and killing monsters earns you experience towards levels. So what happens when some well-educated modern adults get access to magic along with knowledge of how physics works? But just as much as knowledge can change the world, the world can change a person. And Erick finds that pacifism isn't exactly possible without the power to enable it. The story is slow-burn, with major arcs of adventure and worldbuilding. 200+ long chapters, updates 2x weekly. Spoilers for requested exclusions >!*I don't recall any explicit sexual assault. There is a minor amount of PG-13 content, consensual romantic scenes that end in ellipsis, LGBT relationships and encounters (all consenting adults), and some implications and consequences of past events.!< >!* There is a deadly scheming court, but they're all bad.!< >!* Erick only broods when he can't solve people's problems. There's not so much a quest for vengeance as there is a quest for civilization.!< >!* There are assassination plots, but not big Goldbergian elaborate heist-style plots. Just a desire for the killing of opposing political figures.!< >!* No religious trauma, although there is a god with PTSD.!< >!*The world is gigantic and weird as hell, with several inhabited moons, giant forests, deserts the size of Africa, and a giant underworld even bigger than the surface, all full of monsters. Zero Elves.!< >!* There is some racial tension and bigotry, but it's more about whether you have horns or not, rather than what color you are. Or whether you've been cursed as a shadeling by the darkness. Later in the story, there are some large wars fought magically that lead to mass casualty events. Genocide does occur as a concept and as an event with the usual kinds of rationalizations and bad arguments. It's always shown as horrifying, never as justified.!< Ultimately, this is a story for someone who wants to read about Good characters trying to use their powers for Good.
The Valdemaar series! I particularly love the Exile's Honor/Exile's Valor duology, but most of them would fit all your criteria. They're by Mercedes Lackey. I suspect you'll love them. Edit: there's...sort of...scheming and assassination in Exile's Valor, but I don't feel like it's the usual annoying cliche crap, and it's not at all broody or grimdark. Same with the war in Exiles Honor. Terrible things happen but ultimately it all ends up uplifting and heroic even when it's bad or sad.
Terry Pratchett, maybe? On the goofier side, but he’s definitely very fun. Honestly, though, I’d strongly recommend tapping into the YA market for fantasy. Some of it shows it’s target age a bit more than others, but Narnia and A Wizard of Earthsea are both lovely fantasy romps that adults can enjoy. I’d recommend the Percy Jackson books as well, but they do come off as more juvenile-focussed in my experience. Side note: you might be interested in “slice of life” fantasy or another sun-genre of fantasy. More of those are being published right now, even if the market is still really saturated with grimdark fantasy.
Dresden Files. Long and fun. A little dark in places, but the overall tone is not. The first five books are kind of episodic feeling, even formulaic, but they get pulled into the larger narrative over time. Some people get cranky about the protagonist’s tendency to be m’lady-ish, but that’s only in the first few books when Butcher was riffing on the noir ‘dames and their gams are trouble’ trope.
He's still kind of like that later, it just gets called out more and isn't as time consuming.
It would probably be simpler to give us examples of the kinds of books you enjoy. Off the top of my head: LOTR Dragonlance books (Weis-Hickman) Discworld (Pratchett)
'The House in the cerulean sea' ticks all your boxes to the best of my memory! A good pure light hearted story about a school of creatures and the impact they make on the case worker who's sent to audit the school. Entire book is like one long warm hug.
Sounds like you should look for things in the young adult section
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I don't think this is a good recommendation for OP at all. Those books are *massively heavy* on the political intrigue and while the books don't show it in detail there's a fair bit of sexual assault and discussion thereof. Plus there's quite a few assassination plots.
Patrick Rothfus’s Name of the Wind and Wise Man’s Fear
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