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Great Books For Getting Lost In New Worlds

A selection of my favourite books and authors. These are the reads I turn to when I need to immerse myself in another world for a while!

Sections

Neil Gaiman

Signe Pike

Raymond E. Feist

Scott Lynch

George R. R. Martin

Robert Jordan

Neil Gaiman

One of my all-time favorite writers. Gaiman is a soft-spoken man with a knack for storytelling. Nobody knows how to build ambience and immersion like he does.

Fantastic modernized retelling of the Poetic Edda. Neil Gaiman has a special fondness for Norse mythology, and he's brought his trademark humor to the old traditional stories. It makes for a really fun read!

Norse Mythology|Paperback

Easily my favorite book. Neil Gaiman has a talent for descriptive writing that draws you deeply into each scene, and his knowledge of old mythology and folklore is unmatched!

American Gods (The Tenth Anniversary Edition)|Hardcover

Neil Gaiman is a spectacular writer. The late Terry Pratchett was also a prolific powerhouse of an author, and well beloved by his readers. The two of them teamed up to create the world of Good Omens; an ageless friendship between an angel and a demo...

Good Omens: The Nice and Accurate Prophecies of Agnes Nutter, Witch|Paperback

Signe Pike

Powerful descriptions and depth of emotion are Signe's hallmarks. Her characters are deep and thoughtful, flawed and well-rounded. She has a deep knowledge of history and it shows in how she crafts her world.

The Lost Queen is a compelling read with a breathtaking blend of history and fantasy. It is the story not of King Arthur, not of Lancelot, and not even of Merlin. Rather, it is the story of Merlin's beloved sister and the life she sought to forge for...

The Lost Queen: A Novel|Paperback

The second book in Signe Pike's Lost Queen series. I just picked this one up. I haven't read it yet, but I absolutely loved the first one, and I've read it at least twice. Looking forward to digging into this one!

The Forgotten Kingdom: A Novel|Paperback

I have yet to pick this one up, but if the first two novels in the series are anything to go by, I'll be absolutely enthralled when I do. This is the third book in the outstanding series by Signe Pike, who has a phenomenal talent for immersing you in...

The Shadowed Land: A Novel|Hardcover

Raymond E. Feist

I grew up reading Raymond E. Feist; his Riftwar Saga was my favorite. I get lost in the world of Midkemia, and each successive series calls back throughout the history of the world. I love seeing mentions of old favorite characters, remembered genera...

My father gifted me the Riftwar Saga when I was a little girl. I spent my childhood sitting in front of the woodstove with a warm blanket and soft music, losing myself in the world of Midkemia. Outstanding series!

Magician: Apprentice (Riftwar Saga Series #1)|Paperback

The second book in the Riftwar Saga, following Magician: Apprentice. Our main character Pug is branching out into a new world, and we're getting insights into the politics we didn't know were happening behind the scenes.

Magician: Master (Riftwar Saga Series #2)|Paperback

Silverthorn is the third book in the Riftwar Saga, but it represents a departure from the previous two. Pug is not the main point-of-view character, and instead we follow a new storyline in another part of the world.

Silverthorn (Riftwar Saga Series #3)|Paperback

The fourth book in the Riftwar Saga, culminating the story with one hell of a bang. It's exciting, it's heart-wrenching and it draws together many of the loose ends of the previous novels. Easily my favorite of the four.

A Darkness at Sethanon (Riftwar Saga Series #4)|Paperback

Jimmy The Hand is easily my favorite character of the Riftwar Saga. It's really cool to learn he has his own novel now, and I can't wait to read it!

Jimmy and the Crawler | Indigo

Scott Lynch

Scott Lynch has a spectacular talent for grabbing you by the heartstrings and making you cry. His Gentlemen Bastards series is one part post-apocalypse, one part fantasy and one part crime drama. Every part is worth digging into!

The Gentleman Bastards series is a hell of a ride! The Lies of Locke Lamora is the first book in the series, and it's one of the best fantasy heist stories I've ever read. Be prepared to laugh, to rage and to cry.

The Lies of Locke Lamora (Gentleman Bastard Series #1)|Paperback

The second book in the Gentleman Bastards series. It cranks up the emotional gut punches of the first book, takes us to new uncharted lands, and expands on the darkness of the world.

Red Seas Under Red Skies (Gentleman Bastard Series #2)|Paperback

Book number three of the Gentleman Bastards. This one carries some heavy twists, and continues the author's bad habit of absolutely stomping on my heart like a cruel, cruel jerk. 10/10!

The Republic of Thieves|Paperback

George R. R. Martin

The master of fantasy himself, lord of the written word, king of murdering off your favorite characters. Am I bitter? A little bit.

The Song of Ice and Fire series has a special place in my heart. My partner keeps teasing me about never getting an ending to the books and I really hope he's wrong. The books are ten times better than the show, I promise!

George R. R. Martin's A Game of Thrones Leather-Cloth Boxed Set (Song of Ice and Fire Series): A Game of Thrones, A Clash of Kings, A Storm of Swords, A Feast for Crows, and A Dance with Dragons|Paperback

George R. R. Martin is a master of worldbuilding, and he's thrown so much effort into crafting a living, breathing history for the world of A Song of Ice and Fire. Fire and Blood is a fantastical history book disguised as a novel, and it's all about ...

Fire & Blood: 300 Years Before A Game of Thrones|Paperback

It's a common complaint among fans of George R. R. Martin - myself included - that he focuses on building the world rather than completing the story of his novel series. I agree…but also, the history is really cool!

The World of Ice & Fire: The Untold History of Westeros and the Game of Thrones|Hardcover

The first book in the Song of Ice and Fire series. If you don't want to buy the whole set right away, starting with the first novel never hurts. Trust me, you're going to get hooked. This book is where the Game of Thrones show gets its name. Ugh, the...

Game of Thrones (A Song of Ice and Fire #1) (HBO Tie-In Edition)|Paperback

I'm a huge fan of A Song of Ice and Fire. And yes, I'm still absolutely furious over what the showrunners did- my partner refuses to do a re-watch even of the good seasons because he feels so betrayed. Thank goodness for House of the Dragon; the Targ...

The Rise of the Dragon: An Illustrated History of the Targaryen Dynasty, Volume One|Hardcover

Robert Jordan

The late Robert Jordan is famous for his beautifully written Wheel of Time series. It just got adapted to a show on Amazon Prime, so the series is seeing a well-deserved resurgence.

The Eye of the World is the first book in the Wheel of Time series. I'd love to get around to finishing these books at some point, but my mother keeps ‘borrowing’ them from me. She must have read the whole run of them five times by now, which is impr...

The Eye of the World (The Wheel of Time Series #1)|Paperback

The boxed set of the first three books of the Wheel of Time series. The new show has raised the popularity of the books again, and if you decide to get into them, it never hurts to buy multiple books at a time. That way, there's no wait!

Wheel of Time Premium Boxed Set I: Books 1-3 (The Eye of the World, The Great Hunt, The Dragon Reborn)|Other Format

J. R. R. Tolkien

I was in elementary school when I first read the Fellowship of the Ring. I was the lone kid out in what was supposed to be a group book project, and my teacher thought it was far too advanced for my age. I read it in 5 nights. My whole family are Rin...

You can't beat the classics. The Hobbit and the Lord of the Rings are treasures, and I still utterly adore the Peter Jackson movies- extended editions, of course. These illustrated copies of the books are stunning.

The Hobbit & The Lord Of The Rings Boxed Set | Indigo

The Hobbit is a timeless classic. Tolkien originally wrote it as a bedtime story for his kids, and it later blossomed into the whole Lord of the Rings trilogy later in his life. It's a hell of a movie franchise these days, but the simplicity of the b...

The Hobbit (75th Anniversary Edition)|Paperback

The Silmarillion is more of a historical and genealogical book than a novel. It provides background and context into the world of a Lord of the Rings, with all of the love and passion that the classical literature and mythology lover that Tolkein was...

The Silmarillion: Illustrated by J.R.R. Tolkien|Hardcover

Margaret Atwood

Next to Neil Gaiman, Margaret Atwood is one of my greatest inspirations for fiction writing. I love her style, her knack for writing fascinating and introspective characters, and her fearlessness in her choice of subjects.

The Handmaid's Tale is an absolute must-read. Especially in the world today, where some people seem utterly hell-bent on ignoring the lessons of the past, and seem to view Gilead as a blueprint rather than a cautionary tale.

The Handmaid's Tale|Paperback

The Testaments is the sequel to the Handmaid's Tale, and it covers the beginning of the end for the country of Gilead. It goes deeper into the world, and provides insight into hated characters from the first book and their true motivations.

The Testaments: A Novel|Hardcover

Robin Hobb

The author of the spectacular Farseer Trilogy, as well as other series set within the same world. Easily on the same level as George R. R. Martin, and clearly sharing some of the same inspiration.

The first book in the Farseer Trilogy. This is the introduction to the world of the Six Duchies, and the beginning of an epic fantasy adventure. Assassins, spies, animal companions and heroic shenanigans- an all around good read!

Assassin's Apprentice (Farseer Series #1)|Paperback

The second book in the Farseer trilogy is just as powerful and immersive as the first. Fitz' journey continues, and the stakes keep on growing higher and higher.

Royal Assassin|Paperback

Though this novel is the end of the Farseer trilogy, it is not the end of Fitz's story. His adventures continue, with plenty of joy, torment, heartache and triumph. If you aren't broken after finishing the Farseer trilogy, I commend you. It took me s...

Assassin's Quest|Paperback