4 Overrated Fantasy Classics (and What to Read Instead)

The Wheel of Time by Robert Jordan (completed by Brandon Sanderson)

The Broken Earth by N.K. Jemisin

You want great characters, an intricate world, and a complicated plot about powerful people kept in check by unfair systems? Instead of Jordan’s bloated classic, look at this compact trilogy, the first to ever win the Hugo Award for all three novels in a series. And that massive twist in the first book? *chef’s kiss*

The Inheritance Cycle by Christopher Paolini

Christopher Paolini was only 15 when he began writing Eragon. I tell you what, friends, it’s obvious. From the opening, this series suffers from poor pacing, cliché plotting, and shallow characterization. While the series gets better as it goes along, trying to get through the first book is like pulling literary teeth and leads to a lot of DNFs.

Between Earth and Sky by Rebecca Roanhorse

Recently nominated for the Hugo Award for best series, this recent trilogy from Roanhorse doesn’t have dragons, but it does have an epic story with really great characters, forbidden magic, big prophecies, and a focus on the Pre-Columbian (pre-white colonialism) Americas. This trilogy doesn’t just bring great fantasy, but some great literary themes, too.

The Sword of Truth by Terry Goodkind

This one is going to sting for a lot of people. The first book in the series, Wizard’s First Rule, is beloved by a lot of people. Still, others find it more middling. Pretty much everyone agrees that this first book is the high point in the series—a series that goes on for 17 books. Long series can be great, really great, but they need to keep building and getting better as they go along, not the other direction.

Discworld by Terry Pratchett

Admittedly, this massive series doesn’t have much in common with Goodkind’s series, except they’re both by men named Terry. Pratchett’s series spans more than 40 books, all set in the fictional and hilarious world of Discworld. These books are satirical not only of fantasy as a genre, but of the world. Pratchett poked fun at politics, writers, opera, and everything else, often making really great points through his own unique sense of humor. And, they’re all great fantasy reads, too.

The Farseer Trilogy by Robin Hobb

Before you get all up in arms about this one, the overrating here is about a fantasy trilogy that completely dropped the ball at the end. Assassin’s Apprentice and Royal Assassin are great. Assassin’s Quest? Woof. The protagonist tumbles down a hill of stupidity and complaining that makes it hard to read and frankly, doesn’t entirely make sense in the context of the first two books. So disappointing.

The Ending Fire by Saara El-Arifi

I’ve already written at length about my love for the first book in this series, The Final Strife. The characters are all deeply flawed and fascinating. The struggle is so real and so anti-colonialist. And unlike Hobb’s classic, El-Arifi sticks the landing in the third book. Okay, the final battle could have been better (battles are hard to write, y’all), but it nailed its themes and character moments.