**The Top 10 Fantasy Books of the Past Decade**

As a self-proclaimed fantasy enthusiast, I've had the pleasure of reading and devouring some of the most incredible books in the genre over the past decade. In this article, I'll be sharing my top 10 fantasy books that have left an indelible mark on my heart and mind.

One of my all-time favorite fantasy novels is Robert Jackson Bennett's "Foundry Side". This is a story that falls under the category of twins, where God lore and Venetian merchant culture converge with coding at its center. The world-building in this novel is unparalleled, with a city controlled by different merchant Lords who have walled off areas within the city for commerce and trade. The main character, a brilliant thief, is hired to steal an impossible object, which she successfully does but finds herself entangled in the politics of the merchant Lord's world. I love how the magic system is based on language, where understanding the patterns and codes of inanimate objects allows the protagonist to manipulate them to become different.

Another favorite of mine is Robert Jackson Bennett's "The City of Brass", which falls under his tennis series. This novel has all the makings of a great fantasy story: action, romance, and intrigue. The main character, Nahri, is a con artist who gets caught up in the world of magic and politics when she discovers her own hidden powers. I love how the magic system is based on language, where understanding the patterns and codes of different objects allows the protagonist to manipulate them.

My third favorite fantasy novel is Katherine Arden's "The Bear and the Nightingale". This is a historical fantasy series set in 15th century Russia, where we follow our main character, Vasya, as she grows up from childhood to womanhood. The atmosphere and ambiance of this series are so immersive that I feel chilled to the bone whenever I read it. Vasya's journey takes her across the kingdom, where she discovers her own magic and becomes embroiled in the politics of the time. I love how Arden weaves together folklore and Orthodox Christianity into the fabric of the story.

I also have a soft spot for Robert Jackson Bennett's "The Witch of Duva", which falls under his tennis series. This novel has everything: action, romance, and magic. The main character, Arie, is a thief who gets caught up in the world of magic when she discovers her own hidden powers. I love how the magic system is based on language, where understanding the patterns and codes of different objects allows the protagonist to manipulate them.

In my opinion, Katherine Arden's "The Winter of the Witch" is one of the most beautifully written fantasy novels of the past decade. This is the third and final book in the Bear and the Nightingale series, and I think it might be my favorite in the entire series. Vasya has grown into a powerful young woman, but she still faces many challenges as she navigates the complex world of 15th century Russia. I love how Arden weaves together folklore and politics to create a rich and immersive story.

Another favorite of mine is Katherine Arden's "The Girl in the Tower", which falls under her Bear and the Nightingale series. This novel takes us back to the beginning of Vasya's journey, where she is just a young girl living with her father in a remote compound. I love how the atmosphere and ambiance of this series are so immersive that I feel like I'm right there with Vasya as she navigates the complexities of growing up.

Robert Jackson Bennett's "The Factory of the World" is another novel that has left a lasting impression on me. This is the first book in his Foundry series, which is set in a world where different merchant Lords control the city, and the remaining 20% is called Foundry Side. The main character, a brilliant thief named Gwyn, is hired to steal an impossible object, which she successfully does but finds herself entangled in the politics of the merchant Lord's world.

Katherine Arden's "The Girl Who Spoke Bear" falls under her Bear and the Nightingale series. This novel takes us back to Vasya's childhood, where we see her developing her magical powers and learning more about her family's past. I love how Arden weaves together folklore and mythology into the fabric of the story.

My last favorite fantasy novel is Robert Jackson Bennett's "Foundry's End", which falls under his Foundry series. This is the final book in the series, and it's a beautifully written conclusion to Gwyn's journey. I love how the magic system is based on language, where understanding the patterns and codes of different objects allows the protagonist to manipulate them.

Overall, these fantasy novels have left an indelible mark on my heart and mind, and I highly recommend them to anyone who loves the genre. Whether you're a fan of magic, politics, or just great storytelling, there's something for everyone in this list.

"WEBVTTKind: captionsLanguage: eneveryone its Reagan and welcome back to another video today's video I'm not gonna lie I am so excited to film because it's covering my favorite thing in the entire world and that is fantasy novels this is a video a decade in the making because today I'm gonna be going through the top 10 fantasy books of the past decade now keep in mind that these books were organized by the year they were released and not necessarily by the year I read them so a book I read in 2019 could be featured in 2012 if it came out in 2012 it's funny because this video did not originate as the best fantasy books of the past decade simply because I made a why a version of this and posted it a few weeks ago it's gonna make a non Ye version and that it turns out every single book I picked was fantasy which honestly looking back should not really be a surprise to me obviously because fantasy novels tend to be released in series I try to isolate to just one book if I have picked one book in that series I try not to pick another book from that series for another year otherwise this video would just see me talking about the way of King series for at least three of the past ten years but anyway enough rambling without further ado let's start with 2010 and honestly maybe the one that tops them all the fantasy that tops them all I'm talking about the way of kings by Randall Sanderson this is the first novel to the Stormlight archive and probably my favorite fantasy series of all time obviously it's not completed yet so obviously some sort of sharp left turn could still occur though I'm doubtful um but yea this is a series that I love with all of my heart in every way shape and form this is the first novel to a truly epic multi series within a series collection by Brandon Sanderson this epic of a fantasy novel is multi-perspective you're following a variety of different character set in this world and each novel that has been really so far you do have kind of a main focus or main character when you often run into a lot of side characters or secondary characters throughout all the books as well so if you fall in love with someone book one they might be the main character you'll still encounter them in books two and three this first one we watch for people first is a surgeon who's basically had to forsake his like healing to become the soldiers we follow a young woman who's basically has the mantle of trying to save her family from financial ruin and she's taken on a like scholarly station to try to do this like dupe the scholar and they're calling her the liar in this description next we have an assassin who weeps as they travel through the halls and last as a prince who's makes me plagued by like visions of the past and all these characters become very intertwined this is a very complicated fantasy world it's honestly kind of hard to like go deep into but just know this has a wonderfully complex plot but also equally lovable characters it's a story that's very narrative even though it's so grandly huge that I honestly can say with full confidence you'll love it so you should pick it up and definitely check it out I need to reread this because the fourth one comes out in 2020 and I need to be prepared so I could read it with you moving on to 2011 which also features a very incredible look and that is a Wise Man's Fear by Patrick Rothfuss I can't believe it's been so long since we've gotten a king Killer Chronicle novel but the name of the wing series is also one of my all-time favorites it's very beloved within the fantasy world as is wave king so both of these books honestly should not be too much of a surprise but if you're unfamiliar with the name of the one series you're basically following your main character kavod and this is a story told in two parts you follow him in present-day as he's now just running a tavern essentially in the middle of nowhere and a chronicler approaches him in this tavern is like hey what happened tell me your story that's because our main character Kerr both is actually a super famous hero so we kind of follow his story as he's telling it in this tavern and we're encountering his past as he starts to go to magic school and go on adventures in the back of your mind you're wondering what happened and why is he now in this tavern in present day I still have no idea we're still waiting for that third novel apparently it's coming out soon I I would say this is a fantasy that has again wonderful characters but really beautiful writing I would say Brandon Sanderson to me is like the master of plots and patching her office in a lot of ways just has the most beautiful writing style that will just envelop you from page one another incredible series maybe one that might be a little easier to get into that an epic like the way of kings or the Stormlight archives but this obviously made my list going on to 2012 I'm going to select the blinding knife by Brent weeks this might be my favorite in this series um but I of course have not read the last book yet but spoke to to the Lightbringer series which is a really unique and cool fantasy 5 book series that is now completed which is rare so all the books are out but the reason why I really enjoyed this series so much is I feel like it has such a cool magic system that really pulls you in this is set in a world where magic is based on the spectrum of light so the more colors in the spectrum you can control more powerful you are but there is a consequence of magic use which I feel like is an element added to the story which adds really interesting dynamics and that the more magic you use it's really harmful to your body and you tend to die very very young therefore like conflict in and between kingdoms and going to war obviously haves more consequences than just trying to survive it because even if you're fighting for your life and you make it through a battle you still might just simply die because your body will give out on top of this this is a multi-perspective story we follow a lot of different characters including one who is kind of the leader of the realm because he can control all colors within the spectrum of light we also follow a young boy as he's first just encountering his powers and he might actually be the bastard son of someone very important and dancing in around those characters are a bunch of people who want to seize power for themselves and manipulate them to their own game this definitely combines elements of lots of cool combat and world building and magic there's lots of War combat and like war strategy with also like parlor politics which I personally really enjoy like Sinai's card games where people are just making fun of each other I'm here for that but I really really like this series to me it's front week's best series that he's put out so this to me had to win for 20:12 next up we have vicious by ve Schwab for 2013 this is a book I actually read in 2013 and was actually personally just a really big game changer which is why I had to include it on this list this is definitely a more personal selection so I can understand if you guys have differing feelings about a 2013 selection but this is one of the first adult fantasy novels I read in high school obviously it's not huge by any means but it was one that really introduced me to this world of like dark magic brooding characters and kind of made me more comfortable with exploring this genre just kind of outside of my usual white bubble in high school so with that in mind I have to pick this book not to mention it's super dark so addicting in a book that I love to talk about on my booktube channel when I read it all those years ago six years ago oh my god this essentially follows our two main characters Victor and Eli who are essentially evil geniuses they were college roommates and best friends and they're basically working on their dissertation together and that dissertation is to acquire like super powers and they uncover the only way to do that is to kind of be on the brink of death something occurs within their college years that break them apart and they become from best friends to arch-nemesis and in present day we follow Victor just as he's coming out of prison and on his quest for vengeance to kill Eli it's just a really fascinating tale of two dark masterminds trying to destroy each other in some ways I also feel like this is a book that really introduced me to like loving characters who really aren't that great of a person like gray morality you're rooting for them in the moment but like in the long run they're probably not that great of people this is a super captivating story also perhaps a shorter option if you're new to fantasy and one that's also set in present-day so it's like the modern world setting so no high fantasy new world to encounter as well super good I loved it 2013 me was obsessed with this next up we have 2014 and I'm gonna go with City of staring Spy Robert Jackson Bennett I love Robert Jackson Bennett and I think his novels are just so fresh and they just you know inject so many cool things to this genre taking this series I feel like combines elements of geopolitical thrillers like modern our current time geopolitical thrillers that you might encounter with a traditional fantasy setting because of that I feel like the pacing of this book is like breakneck speed you'll not want to put it down because you honestly just are trying to figure out what in the world is going on also I feel like the structure of the series is very strong because it's very geopolitical when dealing with large nation level politics each book takes place over a pretty significant amount of time in between books a lot of time passes each one focuses on a primary main character that you kind of see in the background of previous books so therefore there's also a lot of human elements to this series and you really fall in love with everyone that you're reading about that I feel like propels the political dialogue he's having a new level altogether the series essentially set in a world where there was just one great power that used to rule over ton only their people but a bunch of other nations and they're kind of called the continent and the reason why they're so powerful is because they can harness the power of gods and gods themselves kind of control their government built their infrastructure and provide them the power and the means to kind of subjugate a bunch of other people this leads of course to one of the nations that are being controlled by the continent to eventually rise up and when they do this they actually kill off the gods when this happens something called the blink occurs because once the gods are dead the entire structure of this once great nation literally disappears instantaneously their entire structure of government gone their infrastructure roads buildings ships ibly anything you can think of in terms of having a functioning economy gone on top of that technology learning and innovation also gone because a lot of these people were just relying on magic to kind of propel their nation forward so people weren't really interested in scholarly pursuits so the consequences and also the devastation of destroying these gods to this one nation-state huge fast forward to present day we follow our main character in this one Shara who's basically a nation of another land thus a prairie who basically is the land that rose up killed the guys and is now kind of ruling over the continent and she's travelling there because her job as a international is to kind of quell any uprising or like or just altogether prevent the spread of like- say peri propaganda and a lot of this has to do with killing and destroying any information surrounding the gods so this is a series that kind of jumps from multiple cities it has a lot to do with like spy drama and again it's so good could not put this series down one of the best and just one of the most unique things I've read it's just superb moving on to 2015 I of course have to talk about the fifth season by NK jemisin this is a series I read this past year similar to the city of stair series and read the whole thing and also one that is just one of the greatest things ever written to Bald high the broken roots trilogy about NK jemisin is exceptional it is unique and it is like harrowing which one won the Hugo Award the final book also won the Nebula Award a lauded and well-known series within the science fiction fantasy space that's because it's just truly exceptional this is a series set in a world that is constantly faced with catastrophe and not just like you know a little issue here and there like world ending civilization humanity and in catastrophe and that is because the earth is very alive almost in a way like a main character giant earthquakes tsunamis happen that just basically can make an ice age overnight so there are four groups of people are kind of structured in a way to be survivalists they have food stored for a very long time and also like roles and responsibilities within communities are very set and very structured and if you're kind of considered a less important member of society and a catastrophe happens you might get the boot all together on top of that there are people who have a type of magic in this world that can kind of control the power of the earth and you would think given that earthquakes lead to such catastrophe that these people would be very bonded and celebrated and propelled to high levels of society they're actually fear and deeply mistrusted and honestly treated terribly within this first novel you're following multiple different perspectives one a young girl who's just countered her powers and basically has to learn how to use them to a woman who is kind of working for the government as a very controlled magic user and three a mother basically on a quest to find her child is a serious that deals with so many topics race identity gender motherhood like growth and change and it's so good it's very depressing it's very dark but it's one that will kind of leave you thinking it'll leave you breathless it's just so good and I think about it all the time moving on to perhaps a lighter series recommendation in 2016 and that is gathering of shadows by ve Schwab this is the second book to the darker shades it's magic series which to me it's just an all-around good time and just a series that personally was one that I could not put down I found super entertaining and also just like light-hearted but I was definitely emotionally very invested in the characters is a fantasy world where there are essentially four parallel London's there's gray London which is our London there's no magics red London which is absolutely flourishing with magic it's just there left and right people are just living their lives there's white London which has been slowly destroyed by magic it's like become something people consume it's very dark and very twisted and the last London has been closed off black London no one can go there it's been destroyed by magic and it's basically a no-man's land our main character Kell who is a traveler he can move between all these different London's and in the first one he meets a slew different characters politics begin to kind of unfold and you know it's very entertaining I like the first one I definitely think it's the weakest in the series but moving into the second one gathering of shadows which is definitely my favorite in the series I feel like the world is just burst wide open one the sequel involves a magical competition to some of our favorite side characters I really feel like it the spotlight in this one we follow a girl Delilah who Kelly encounters in the first one and now she's present in red London she's kind of a pirate woman extraordinaire and she's so entertaining and you also just kind of begin to see a lot more of the relationships develop in this story the magic is super entertaining the world is very lush and Beach Bob's writing is engaging so I had to pick this one as my fav of the year I do of course have to give a shout-out to OHS bringer which also came out this year which again only can reference one book from a series once but like I have to mention Stormlight archives at least one more time hi guys its 2017 the book I have selected is city of brass by sa Chakrabarti I love political forward fantasy novels I love things that really reflect our modern world or really inspired by history kind of brought in and enveloped in a fantastical setting and I feel like city of brass does this exceptionally city of brass is a story that is deeply inspired by Middle Eastern history it's set in eighteenth-century in Egypt in the very beginning and we follow our main character who is a thief to survive one day she steals an item that is a magic lamp she unleashes a warrior genie and she is whisked away to a whole new world chock full of genie politics which he arrived she realizes she's like a part of this long-lost family that was thought to have been destroyed and it kind of drops her in the political center of this world they've learnt of the reasons why I love the city of stairs city of brass also has deeply intense politics that are not things that can be resolved quickly I feel like the author of this story really gives it time to kind of unfold those conflicts and it's not like our main characters like dropped into the city and she's like I have all of your answers let me figure out why you all hate each other so much like get over it no it's quite the opposite and you're basically navigating these really complex and dynamic like multi generations of hatred between all these different groups of people and it seems so impossible to overcome but you also encounter characters who are truly trying their best again a super politic forward fantasy but it does have action and there is a sprinkle of romance as well I do want to quickly mention as well like city of stairs where a lot of time will pass between each novel that is something that also occurs in this series because I feel like she just wants to give the political problems time to breathe and not trying to solve something overnight which again I just think is so well done this is really great love all the characters love all the drama can't wait for the third book alright twenty 18 means any other Robert Jackson Bennett's story this is Foundry side and one of again another all-time favorite Robert Jackson tennis is another really intriguing fantasy novel which to me in twins again kind of God lore and Venetian merchant culture with coding at the center of its magic system I know sounds peculiar but hear me out this is a story which falls our main character who is a very great thief and she lives in a world in a city that is controlled by different merchant Lords and these lords literally have cities within the city they have walled off areas where commerce and trade and what-have-you occurs within those walls between all the different merchant Lords 80% of the city is kind of walled off that the remaining 20% is called foundry side and this is a lawless land this is where our main character lives and you know does her work at the beginning of the story she is hired to steal an impossible object which because she's such a fantastic thief successfully does but when she steals it she finds herself in the middle between merchants Lord politic this is definitely a very dark story it's very gritty and I love the magic the reason why our main character is so good at thieving is because she's so great at the magic which essentially is about language if you can understand the pattern and how different inanimate objects speak you can manipulate them to become different so for example if you know the language of a stone wall you can make it stronger you can make it weaker and in our main characters case if you know the language of the floor you can make your footsteps appear much lighter no one can hear you coming you know the language of the shadows within a wall you can make yourself kind of disappear she could hear and decipher these languages and write something back to them in a way that really is very reminiscent to like coding or hacking but just in a very magical way this is a story that also has great action there's romance and there's just I love it all and the very last book on my best fantasy books of the past decade is going to be the winter of the witch by Katherine Arden this is the third and final book - the bear in the nightingale series which I love so unbelievably much and I think this third book might be my favorite and the entire series and this is a historical fantasy series where we fall our main character yeah and this is a series where you literally watch her grow up from childhood to through womanhood but in the first one the bear in the nightingale she is just a young girl who lives in her father's compound I want to say this is set like 15th century Russia her father's compound is in a very remote and very cold locale I would say the ambience and atmosphere of this series will make you feel chilled to the bone but in the first one Vasya and everyone who lives in her village both you know are scribed to Orthodox Christianity but also kind of use folklore as well however when vasya's mother dies and her father gets remarried his new wife is very devout and kind of vows they get rid of any folklore from the town when she does this though a great evil begins the threatened everyone that she loves and it's up to Vasya to kind of unlock her magic face the evil and save the day that is definitely the first one and definitely the beginning of her journey this through the course of the next two novels you follow Vasya she kind of learns more about her magic becomes more confident in her magic and also just kind of travels across the kingdom travels a cut across Russia and finds herself in lots of different problems this is also a serious I feel like that really embraces its history and it's time period it's not just using 15th century Russia as a backdrop but really infused the politics and the societal expectations that one would encounter in this time period within this story both as Vasya but also as things that our siblings have to overcome it's fascinating it's beautiful it's rich and has so much atmosphere and so much magic and you just love Vasya and it's just one of my favorite series of all times it reads like a fairy tale and it's just exceptionally done alrighty guys those are my top 10 fantasy books of the past decade please let me know down below your top fantasy books because obviously I'm sure I've missed some there are so many books I still need to read so I need to add fantasy books to my TBR so let me know your faves are ones that I missed in this video because I need them in my life anyway I hope you guys enjoyed this video and I'll see you soon with another one soon good byeeveryone its Reagan and welcome back to another video today's video I'm not gonna lie I am so excited to film because it's covering my favorite thing in the entire world and that is fantasy novels this is a video a decade in the making because today I'm gonna be going through the top 10 fantasy books of the past decade now keep in mind that these books were organized by the year they were released and not necessarily by the year I read them so a book I read in 2019 could be featured in 2012 if it came out in 2012 it's funny because this video did not originate as the best fantasy books of the past decade simply because I made a why a version of this and posted it a few weeks ago it's gonna make a non Ye version and that it turns out every single book I picked was fantasy which honestly looking back should not really be a surprise to me obviously because fantasy novels tend to be released in series I try to isolate to just one book if I have picked one book in that series I try not to pick another book from that series for another year otherwise this video would just see me talking about the way of King series for at least three of the past ten years but anyway enough rambling without further ado let's start with 2010 and honestly maybe the one that tops them all the fantasy that tops them all I'm talking about the way of kings by Randall Sanderson this is the first novel to the Stormlight archive and probably my favorite fantasy series of all time obviously it's not completed yet so obviously some sort of sharp left turn could still occur though I'm doubtful um but yea this is a series that I love with all of my heart in every way shape and form this is the first novel to a truly epic multi series within a series collection by Brandon Sanderson this epic of a fantasy novel is multi-perspective you're following a variety of different character set in this world and each novel that has been really so far you do have kind of a main focus or main character when you often run into a lot of side characters or secondary characters throughout all the books as well so if you fall in love with someone book one they might be the main character you'll still encounter them in books two and three this first one we watch for people first is a surgeon who's basically had to forsake his like healing to become the soldiers we follow a young woman who's basically has the mantle of trying to save her family from financial ruin and she's taken on a like scholarly station to try to do this like dupe the scholar and they're calling her the liar in this description next we have an assassin who weeps as they travel through the halls and last as a prince who's makes me plagued by like visions of the past and all these characters become very intertwined this is a very complicated fantasy world it's honestly kind of hard to like go deep into but just know this has a wonderfully complex plot but also equally lovable characters it's a story that's very narrative even though it's so grandly huge that I honestly can say with full confidence you'll love it so you should pick it up and definitely check it out I need to reread this because the fourth one comes out in 2020 and I need to be prepared so I could read it with you moving on to 2011 which also features a very incredible look and that is a Wise Man's Fear by Patrick Rothfuss I can't believe it's been so long since we've gotten a king Killer Chronicle novel but the name of the wing series is also one of my all-time favorites it's very beloved within the fantasy world as is wave king so both of these books honestly should not be too much of a surprise but if you're unfamiliar with the name of the one series you're basically following your main character kavod and this is a story told in two parts you follow him in present-day as he's now just running a tavern essentially in the middle of nowhere and a chronicler approaches him in this tavern is like hey what happened tell me your story that's because our main character Kerr both is actually a super famous hero so we kind of follow his story as he's telling it in this tavern and we're encountering his past as he starts to go to magic school and go on adventures in the back of your mind you're wondering what happened and why is he now in this tavern in present day I still have no idea we're still waiting for that third novel apparently it's coming out soon I I would say this is a fantasy that has again wonderful characters but really beautiful writing I would say Brandon Sanderson to me is like the master of plots and patching her office in a lot of ways just has the most beautiful writing style that will just envelop you from page one another incredible series maybe one that might be a little easier to get into that an epic like the way of kings or the Stormlight archives but this obviously made my list going on to 2012 I'm going to select the blinding knife by Brent weeks this might be my favorite in this series um but I of course have not read the last book yet but spoke to to the Lightbringer series which is a really unique and cool fantasy 5 book series that is now completed which is rare so all the books are out but the reason why I really enjoyed this series so much is I feel like it has such a cool magic system that really pulls you in this is set in a world where magic is based on the spectrum of light so the more colors in the spectrum you can control more powerful you are but there is a consequence of magic use which I feel like is an element added to the story which adds really interesting dynamics and that the more magic you use it's really harmful to your body and you tend to die very very young therefore like conflict in and between kingdoms and going to war obviously haves more consequences than just trying to survive it because even if you're fighting for your life and you make it through a battle you still might just simply die because your body will give out on top of this this is a multi-perspective story we follow a lot of different characters including one who is kind of the leader of the realm because he can control all colors within the spectrum of light we also follow a young boy as he's first just encountering his powers and he might actually be the bastard son of someone very important and dancing in around those characters are a bunch of people who want to seize power for themselves and manipulate them to their own game this definitely combines elements of lots of cool combat and world building and magic there's lots of War combat and like war strategy with also like parlor politics which I personally really enjoy like Sinai's card games where people are just making fun of each other I'm here for that but I really really like this series to me it's front week's best series that he's put out so this to me had to win for 20:12 next up we have vicious by ve Schwab for 2013 this is a book I actually read in 2013 and was actually personally just a really big game changer which is why I had to include it on this list this is definitely a more personal selection so I can understand if you guys have differing feelings about a 2013 selection but this is one of the first adult fantasy novels I read in high school obviously it's not huge by any means but it was one that really introduced me to this world of like dark magic brooding characters and kind of made me more comfortable with exploring this genre just kind of outside of my usual white bubble in high school so with that in mind I have to pick this book not to mention it's super dark so addicting in a book that I love to talk about on my booktube channel when I read it all those years ago six years ago oh my god this essentially follows our two main characters Victor and Eli who are essentially evil geniuses they were college roommates and best friends and they're basically working on their dissertation together and that dissertation is to acquire like super powers and they uncover the only way to do that is to kind of be on the brink of death something occurs within their college years that break them apart and they become from best friends to arch-nemesis and in present day we follow Victor just as he's coming out of prison and on his quest for vengeance to kill Eli it's just a really fascinating tale of two dark masterminds trying to destroy each other in some ways I also feel like this is a book that really introduced me to like loving characters who really aren't that great of a person like gray morality you're rooting for them in the moment but like in the long run they're probably not that great of people this is a super captivating story also perhaps a shorter option if you're new to fantasy and one that's also set in present-day so it's like the modern world setting so no high fantasy new world to encounter as well super good I loved it 2013 me was obsessed with this next up we have 2014 and I'm gonna go with City of staring Spy Robert Jackson Bennett I love Robert Jackson Bennett and I think his novels are just so fresh and they just you know inject so many cool things to this genre taking this series I feel like combines elements of geopolitical thrillers like modern our current time geopolitical thrillers that you might encounter with a traditional fantasy setting because of that I feel like the pacing of this book is like breakneck speed you'll not want to put it down because you honestly just are trying to figure out what in the world is going on also I feel like the structure of the series is very strong because it's very geopolitical when dealing with large nation level politics each book takes place over a pretty significant amount of time in between books a lot of time passes each one focuses on a primary main character that you kind of see in the background of previous books so therefore there's also a lot of human elements to this series and you really fall in love with everyone that you're reading about that I feel like propels the political dialogue he's having a new level altogether the series essentially set in a world where there was just one great power that used to rule over ton only their people but a bunch of other nations and they're kind of called the continent and the reason why they're so powerful is because they can harness the power of gods and gods themselves kind of control their government built their infrastructure and provide them the power and the means to kind of subjugate a bunch of other people this leads of course to one of the nations that are being controlled by the continent to eventually rise up and when they do this they actually kill off the gods when this happens something called the blink occurs because once the gods are dead the entire structure of this once great nation literally disappears instantaneously their entire structure of government gone their infrastructure roads buildings ships ibly anything you can think of in terms of having a functioning economy gone on top of that technology learning and innovation also gone because a lot of these people were just relying on magic to kind of propel their nation forward so people weren't really interested in scholarly pursuits so the consequences and also the devastation of destroying these gods to this one nation-state huge fast forward to present day we follow our main character in this one Shara who's basically a nation of another land thus a prairie who basically is the land that rose up killed the guys and is now kind of ruling over the continent and she's travelling there because her job as a international is to kind of quell any uprising or like or just altogether prevent the spread of like- say peri propaganda and a lot of this has to do with killing and destroying any information surrounding the gods so this is a series that kind of jumps from multiple cities it has a lot to do with like spy drama and again it's so good could not put this series down one of the best and just one of the most unique things I've read it's just superb moving on to 2015 I of course have to talk about the fifth season by NK jemisin this is a series I read this past year similar to the city of stair series and read the whole thing and also one that is just one of the greatest things ever written to Bald high the broken roots trilogy about NK jemisin is exceptional it is unique and it is like harrowing which one won the Hugo Award the final book also won the Nebula Award a lauded and well-known series within the science fiction fantasy space that's because it's just truly exceptional this is a series set in a world that is constantly faced with catastrophe and not just like you know a little issue here and there like world ending civilization humanity and in catastrophe and that is because the earth is very alive almost in a way like a main character giant earthquakes tsunamis happen that just basically can make an ice age overnight so there are four groups of people are kind of structured in a way to be survivalists they have food stored for a very long time and also like roles and responsibilities within communities are very set and very structured and if you're kind of considered a less important member of society and a catastrophe happens you might get the boot all together on top of that there are people who have a type of magic in this world that can kind of control the power of the earth and you would think given that earthquakes lead to such catastrophe that these people would be very bonded and celebrated and propelled to high levels of society they're actually fear and deeply mistrusted and honestly treated terribly within this first novel you're following multiple different perspectives one a young girl who's just countered her powers and basically has to learn how to use them to a woman who is kind of working for the government as a very controlled magic user and three a mother basically on a quest to find her child is a serious that deals with so many topics race identity gender motherhood like growth and change and it's so good it's very depressing it's very dark but it's one that will kind of leave you thinking it'll leave you breathless it's just so good and I think about it all the time moving on to perhaps a lighter series recommendation in 2016 and that is gathering of shadows by ve Schwab this is the second book to the darker shades it's magic series which to me it's just an all-around good time and just a series that personally was one that I could not put down I found super entertaining and also just like light-hearted but I was definitely emotionally very invested in the characters is a fantasy world where there are essentially four parallel London's there's gray London which is our London there's no magics red London which is absolutely flourishing with magic it's just there left and right people are just living their lives there's white London which has been slowly destroyed by magic it's like become something people consume it's very dark and very twisted and the last London has been closed off black London no one can go there it's been destroyed by magic and it's basically a no-man's land our main character Kell who is a traveler he can move between all these different London's and in the first one he meets a slew different characters politics begin to kind of unfold and you know it's very entertaining I like the first one I definitely think it's the weakest in the series but moving into the second one gathering of shadows which is definitely my favorite in the series I feel like the world is just burst wide open one the sequel involves a magical competition to some of our favorite side characters I really feel like it the spotlight in this one we follow a girl Delilah who Kelly encounters in the first one and now she's present in red London she's kind of a pirate woman extraordinaire and she's so entertaining and you also just kind of begin to see a lot more of the relationships develop in this story the magic is super entertaining the world is very lush and Beach Bob's writing is engaging so I had to pick this one as my fav of the year I do of course have to give a shout-out to OHS bringer which also came out this year which again only can reference one book from a series once but like I have to mention Stormlight archives at least one more time hi guys its 2017 the book I have selected is city of brass by sa Chakrabarti I love political forward fantasy novels I love things that really reflect our modern world or really inspired by history kind of brought in and enveloped in a fantastical setting and I feel like city of brass does this exceptionally city of brass is a story that is deeply inspired by Middle Eastern history it's set in eighteenth-century in Egypt in the very beginning and we follow our main character who is a thief to survive one day she steals an item that is a magic lamp she unleashes a warrior genie and she is whisked away to a whole new world chock full of genie politics which he arrived she realizes she's like a part of this long-lost family that was thought to have been destroyed and it kind of drops her in the political center of this world they've learnt of the reasons why I love the city of stairs city of brass also has deeply intense politics that are not things that can be resolved quickly I feel like the author of this story really gives it time to kind of unfold those conflicts and it's not like our main characters like dropped into the city and she's like I have all of your answers let me figure out why you all hate each other so much like get over it no it's quite the opposite and you're basically navigating these really complex and dynamic like multi generations of hatred between all these different groups of people and it seems so impossible to overcome but you also encounter characters who are truly trying their best again a super politic forward fantasy but it does have action and there is a sprinkle of romance as well I do want to quickly mention as well like city of stairs where a lot of time will pass between each novel that is something that also occurs in this series because I feel like she just wants to give the political problems time to breathe and not trying to solve something overnight which again I just think is so well done this is really great love all the characters love all the drama can't wait for the third book alright twenty 18 means any other Robert Jackson Bennett's story this is Foundry side and one of again another all-time favorite Robert Jackson tennis is another really intriguing fantasy novel which to me in twins again kind of God lore and Venetian merchant culture with coding at the center of its magic system I know sounds peculiar but hear me out this is a story which falls our main character who is a very great thief and she lives in a world in a city that is controlled by different merchant Lords and these lords literally have cities within the city they have walled off areas where commerce and trade and what-have-you occurs within those walls between all the different merchant Lords 80% of the city is kind of walled off that the remaining 20% is called foundry side and this is a lawless land this is where our main character lives and you know does her work at the beginning of the story she is hired to steal an impossible object which because she's such a fantastic thief successfully does but when she steals it she finds herself in the middle between merchants Lord politic this is definitely a very dark story it's very gritty and I love the magic the reason why our main character is so good at thieving is because she's so great at the magic which essentially is about language if you can understand the pattern and how different inanimate objects speak you can manipulate them to become different so for example if you know the language of a stone wall you can make it stronger you can make it weaker and in our main characters case if you know the language of the floor you can make your footsteps appear much lighter no one can hear you coming you know the language of the shadows within a wall you can make yourself kind of disappear she could hear and decipher these languages and write something back to them in a way that really is very reminiscent to like coding or hacking but just in a very magical way this is a story that also has great action there's romance and there's just I love it all and the very last book on my best fantasy books of the past decade is going to be the winter of the witch by Katherine Arden this is the third and final book - the bear in the nightingale series which I love so unbelievably much and I think this third book might be my favorite and the entire series and this is a historical fantasy series where we fall our main character yeah and this is a series where you literally watch her grow up from childhood to through womanhood but in the first one the bear in the nightingale she is just a young girl who lives in her father's compound I want to say this is set like 15th century Russia her father's compound is in a very remote and very cold locale I would say the ambience and atmosphere of this series will make you feel chilled to the bone but in the first one Vasya and everyone who lives in her village both you know are scribed to Orthodox Christianity but also kind of use folklore as well however when vasya's mother dies and her father gets remarried his new wife is very devout and kind of vows they get rid of any folklore from the town when she does this though a great evil begins the threatened everyone that she loves and it's up to Vasya to kind of unlock her magic face the evil and save the day that is definitely the first one and definitely the beginning of her journey this through the course of the next two novels you follow Vasya she kind of learns more about her magic becomes more confident in her magic and also just kind of travels across the kingdom travels a cut across Russia and finds herself in lots of different problems this is also a serious I feel like that really embraces its history and it's time period it's not just using 15th century Russia as a backdrop but really infused the politics and the societal expectations that one would encounter in this time period within this story both as Vasya but also as things that our siblings have to overcome it's fascinating it's beautiful it's rich and has so much atmosphere and so much magic and you just love Vasya and it's just one of my favorite series of all times it reads like a fairy tale and it's just exceptionally done alrighty guys those are my top 10 fantasy books of the past decade please let me know down below your top fantasy books because obviously I'm sure I've missed some there are so many books I still need to read so I need to add fantasy books to my TBR so let me know your faves are ones that I missed in this video because I need them in my life anyway I hope you guys enjoyed this video and I'll see you soon with another one soon good bye\n"