How do you learn to write a stand alone book with series potential. This book is an adult fantasy in young adult fantasy clothing and well. How many books do you need to ensure an epic fantasy is suitably epic. Reddits favorite standalone science fiction novels the. Im looking for fantasy books that arent part of any series. The first law is a fantasy series written by british author joe abercrombie. The fantasy genre is known for its long series, sagas that have several volumes in order to tell a story. But with so many excellent stories to check out, theres a chance you might have missed some of the best. I would like to suggest wizards first rule by terry goodkind.
Since this locus awardwinning first volume does stand alone, the lack of. Jack blank adventures by matt myklusch books for teens and tweens boys and girls jack blank resides at st. Stories that begin and end in a single book without an open ended finale to set up a sequel. Rowling to sabaa tahir, we list the best fantasy books of the 21st century. In that space we have 14yearold faith, a budding naturalist whose reverend father has come under. Theres a certain satisfaction in picking up a fantasy novel and knowing its a standalone. If you feel like reading a scifi or fantasy book but dont want to delve into what seems like a neverending series like they often seem, heres a list of some standalone science fiction and fantasy books that should be great. Complete with the grandfather of fantasy the hobbit and other essential fantasy novels including american gods by neil gaiman and the wonderful wizard of oz by l. Ive read brendon sandersons mistborn series previously and really enjoyed them despite some weaker moments so decided to try some of his other works and elantris is, as far as i can tell, his first novel. The night gardener reads like a classic thats been around for 50 years. Jun 24, 2017 in which i discuss my favorite science fiction and fantasy standalones. The book begins with a small set of characters in a small town environment and just like a snowball rolling down a snow covered slope, it builds and builds in the most fascinating way, with heroes, evil monsters, villains and of course, wonderful dragons.
So, im looking for some stand alone fantasy book s now, lets say released within the last 10. The sword of truth series is 14 books, all of which are designed to be stand alone stories, totally independent from the. The best fantasy novels of all time penguin random house. Its hard to think of standout stand alone works that are actually epic fantasy. Fantasy fiction is best known for its giant, doorstopping series that. There are very valid reasons to write a stand alone novel or one where the same character appears in each, but the stories are unrelated think james bond or sherlock holmes. Blockbuster adaptations of stand alone novels and series like the fault in our stars, the maze runner, and divergent have made ya familiar even to those who havent picked up a book written for. It is a great book, even though it took me two attempts to get started, but its fantasy in the broad sense like most wolfe not the narrow sense epichigh fantasy. Mar 23, 2015 warbreaker, by brandon sanderson sanderson is known from writing towering multibook sagas like mistborn and the stormlight archives, but he can also do it in one. Some of them can have continuations like hobbit, but they work perfectly fine as a. Coral by sara ella, the stars we steal by alexa donne, a dress for the wicked by autumn krause, the bone houses. Elantris by brandon sanderson, tigana by guy gavriel kay, uprooted by naomi novik, stardust by neil gaiman, and.
It feels like the kind of book thats been on shelves forever, next to a wrinkle in time and something wicked this way comes. If you feel like reading a scifi or fantasy book but dont want to delve into what seems like a neverending series like they often seem, heres a list of some stand alone science fiction and fantasy books that should be great. For one, you wont have to wait a year, or two, or even five before you find out what h. In that space we have 14yearold faith, a budding naturalist whose reverend father has come under some controversy for fraud. A book s total score is based on multiple factors, including the number of people who have voted for it and how highly those voters ranked the book. When fantasy fans start a new book, they do it knowing that they may still have to be reading about these characters 20 years later.
The 50 best fantasy books of the 21st century so far paste. Fantasy fiction is best known for its giant, doorstopping series that come in trilogies or longer. Its not required that your recommendations conform to them, but here are my preferences. On june, 2014, reddit user sudevsen posed a question to the books subreddit. Jeffree star liquid lipstick in abused look for dupes. Apr 26, 2017 but sometimes i just want a book that stands alone, a selfcontained story i can experience in a day. Popular stand alone fantasy books goodreads share book. Frances hardinges the lie tree is set amid the 19th century tensions among darwins radical books and resistance to his provocative ideas. You can close the book with a satisfying thunk at the end, knowing that the characters have completed their journeys, and that all the ends are more or less tucked in neatly. A books total score is based on multiple factors, including the number of people who have voted for it and how highly those voters ranked the book. One of the things you get used to as a fantasy fan is that each new book is a commitment.
Mieville is the master of standalone fantasy to the point where every book in his baslag series could be read individually, but if youre on the market for a really good fantastical mystery, the. Jan 15, 2019 the night may be dark and full of terrors, but the year is bright and full of incredible books to get you through. Jun 19, 2014 this list was created by members of the goodreads group, sos. Check out our list of the best fantasy books of alltime below. Weve rounded up the young adult books worth checking out, no matter your age. The best standalone science fiction and fantasy books. Also, you wont end up picking up an interesting looking fantasy novel from the shelves, starting it, then realizing its actually book two of a trilogy. So i just got done readingrereading robin hobbs realm of the elderlings and, long story short, its still my favorite fantasy saga. From fantasy to scifi to contemporary to historical, this list has all the fantastic standalone books you need to read. It is widely considered to be his best novelalthough i think several of his other novels rank up there as well.
Speculative fiction has exploded in the young adult category, and the past decade alone has seen some really incredible works. Jennifer nielsen has also written a few great stand alone books and a series called the underworld chronicles that is great for younger readers. In this list youll find only single, standalone fantasy novels from every subgenre, period oder author. Craving an outofthisworld read but not feeling up to a long series thats still in flux. Elantris by brandon sanderson, tigana by guy gavriel kay, uprooted by naomi novik, stardust by neil gaiman, and the. Some people commit to other people, marriages, children, careers. While troop movements and battle scenes play a large part in this long story, the book is not. Sure, theres a surfeit of it when you have four, five or more books to explore a world and a set of characters, but is it possible to build a whole world in one book. Abercrombie has finished the first draft for another trilogy set in the first law world which will be set after the 3rd stand alone novel and serve as a sequel to the.
This list offers some of the top standalone fantasy novels. Score a books total score is based on multiple factors, including the number of people who have voted for it and how highly those voters ranked the book. Mar 09, 2018 its the way he forms a series of firstperson narratives into a compelling and satisfying whole that lifts the book far above most runaround space capers. Looking for standalone fantasy novels or duologies. Good fantasy books have been transporting people to other places and times for hundreds of. Weve rounded up the best sci fi fantasy books that stand on their own and will knock your socks off. The best sci fi fantasy books that arent part of a huge. A stand alone fantasy novel, the priory of the orange tree details a rich, magical world in which three vastly different societies all have very different opinions about dragons.
See more ideas about fantasy books, books and fiction. Weve faithfully stood by the selection series for 4 years and 5 books, were anxiously awaiting a sixth throne of glass novel, and honestly our hearts cant take much more. For one, you wont have to wait a year, or two, or even five before you find out what happens next. Whats the best stand alone sciencefiction book of the last 25 years.
So, im looking for some stand alone fantasy books now, lets say released within the. I was shocked to find out it was published in 2014. Three awesome stand alone fantasy books the bookworm. Seriously, there are so many amazing young adult fantasy books hitting shelves in the next year that we dont even know how were going to get through them all. If youre looking for your next fantasy read, and youre short. Finally, i wanted each of these books to be a true standalone with no. A standalone coming of age urban fantasy superhero. When it comes to masterpiece stand alone fantasy novels, look no further than tigana. Three awesome stand alone fantasy books the bookworm dreamer. Here are 25 of the best fantasy books for teens or readers of all ages to check out everything from. Apr 11, 2018 since this locus awardwinning first volume does stand alone, the lack of sequels doesnt mar our hearty recommendation. Of course, long series are the bread and butter of urban fantasy genre, and it can be hard to find that same flavor in a single book. Iron cast is a great femaledriven standalone historical fantasy for anyone who likes a little horror with their magic. Maybe youre not searching for a whole series, but you still want to read a captivating story to transport you to.
May 04, 2012 but publishers would rather publish a stand alone book and see how it does before committing to a series, so the first book becomes a tough balancing act. Kay is adept here at storytelling, magic, politics, and the complex and amazing characters that infuse epic stories. Harry norman turtledove born june 14, 1949 is an american novelist, best known for his work in the genres of alternate history, historical fiction, fantasy, and science fiction and mystery. Yes, many can be read without reading others in the series, but you lose much in. Most of these are stand alone novels, but there are also a few continuations of some of our favorite fantasy series. It consists of a trilogy, three stand alone novels and a number of novellas set in the same world. A stand alone fantasy book there are a couple of short stories set in the world i havent read yet and its excellent. Strong preference for works that were never conceived of as part of a series, were never retrofitted into a series after proving popular, and are not part of serial adventures that stand alone.
Most readers are already familiar with the root story, so one book is enough to tell it all. In warbreaker, he creates a fullyformed world with a beautiful, unique, and complex magic systemawakening, the use of breath and commands to give an illusion of life to inanimate objects, fueled by draining the colors in from the. In this article, we will have a list of the best standalone books in fantasy. In which i discuss my favorite science fiction and fantasy standalones.
A standalone fantasy novel, the priory of the orange tree details a rich, magical world in which three vastly. Aug 26, 2015 best standalone fantasy novels updated posted on august 26, 2015 by bookwraiths a standalone novel to me is a book that is selfcontained and independent, able to be understood and appreciated without the need to read anything else. Actually, all of his books are stand alone, and while im not usually a fan of modern urban fantasy stuff, king rat and kraken were both really great reads. These ten standalone fantasy books prove sometimes less is more, and that the fantasy genre will always have a place for selfcontained. Barnabys home for the hopeless, abandoned, forgotten, and lost.
A stand alone coming of age urban fantasy superhero romance in the divine series kindle edition by teschner, b. Stand alone these are stand alone novels not part of a series. An editor doesnt want to commit to more than one, ive been told, because if it doesnt sell well, they dont want to be roped into publishing more duds. This is actually the first in a long series but is the only decent book in the series, and i would treat it as a stand alone. Whats the best standalone sciencefiction book of the last 25 years. Long stories are great, but fantasy readers also are able to enjoy shorter stories. So lets jump on the standalone wagon and pick up a great new novel. You read one book, and get one complete story, with all the resolution you need.
This is hard to answer, given that such a high percentage of fantasy novels are parts of an extended series and world, and most of these would not really stand alone. My top ten supersolounsequelledstandalone fantasy novels. Less a fantasy series and more a complex dedication to worldbuilding. Of course, not everyone wants to embark on a tenbook project. Mar 08, 2018 theres a certain satisfaction in picking up a fantasy novel and knowing its a standalone.
China mievilles new crobuzon series is a set of three stand alone narratives in a shared setting. So its time to sit back, relax, and enjoy one or all of these fantasy standalonesno sequels, no waiting. Ive draw fantasy books from different fantasy subgenres and from a wide range of different time periods. The list my top 10 supersolounsequelledstandalone fantasy novels presented below tam lin, by pamela dean this is one often recommended, with the codicil that actually, it doesnt have much fantasy in it at all, and is mostly a story about girls attending a glorious liberal arts college in the 1970s. This standalone novel might end up leaving you hungry for more, and. Jun 08, 2014 another piece of advice given to firsttime fantasy authors is to write a stand alone book. Nov 09, 2017 i adore so many standalone novels, but these are my all time favorites that ive read.
And even if you love series, sometimes its nice to read a standalone story that provides a satisfying resolution within a single book. There are many examples though, like fairytale retelling. Mar 01, 2016 unless of course, that book is the rarest of all speculative novels a standalone. If you dont enjoy waiting for the next book in a series, weve got some excellent standalone ya fantasy book you should add to your tbr. And the biggest is that the plot only fills one book. Reddit responded generously, including some titles that were older than 25 years science fiction readers can be passionate, and if theres a book you should read, by god theyre going to tell you, to hell with the rules.
Returning to the fantasy genre that made him a coasttocoast bestselling phenomenon, tad williams writes this standalone contemporary fantasy novel, set in northern californiaand also in the strange parallel world that coexists in the farthest reaches of the imagination. Among david baldaccis many standalone novels are his first novel and first bestseller, absolute power, which became a blockbuster film directed by and starring clint eastwood, and the christmas train, the inspiration for the hit hallmark channel movie. But sometimes i just want a book that stands alone, a selfcontained story i can experience in a day. What is the best standalone fantasy novel youve ever.
Three awesome stand alone fantasy books march 20, 2019 march 21, 2019 thebookwormdreamer 7 comments so i did something different yesterday and posted my first book post of a book tag that i have participated in and low and behold. In that time youve invariably forgotten much of the first, or previous book anyway. I have read some stand alone fantasy, and yes, a fantasy can be a stand alone, if done right. Blockbuster adaptations of stand alone novels and series like the. At the time of posting, each book was a stand alone novel and not part of a series.
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