5 Near-Perfect Fantasy Books, Recommended by Brandon Sanderson

Brandon Sanderson has shared five fantasy recommendations, reflecting his view that readers should explore widely and follow their own interests. The article highlights several authors and books he has praised, including works that influenced later fantasy writers and helped shape his own reading.

Tad Williams’s Memory, Sorrow, & Thorn follows a young man drawn into a struggle against ancient magical forces; Sanderson likes Williams’s detailed, long-winded style, though it may not suit everyone. Barbara Hambly’s Dragonsbane, published in 1985, helped spark Sanderson’s interest in fantasy and centres on a witch and a lord facing a powerful dragon. The article also recommends Daniel Abraham’s The Dagger and the Coin as a starting point, while noting Abraham co-wrote The Expanse as James S.A. Corey.