The idea for this came to me several months ago, probably during the latest flair up of “indie/self pub is inferior” or something similar. The point of which is not to argue, but to highlight some writers that are either underrated, or great examples of where to start with indie fantasy. My original idea was to have separate posts for both, but boiling it down to the nitty gritty of who/what constituted something as underrated, or in that vein, what makes something a good place to start, became a little too convoluted. And in my opinion, they aren’t mutually exclusive anyway. Fantasy is often about the underdog, the unknown person or place, so why not give a list of authors that you may not have heard of a go? Every author was unread at one point in time, and you just might find a new favorite.
Who am I? I, too, thought that may be asked when presenting this list, so instead of making it myself, I asked my bookstagram, my twitter, this blog, my discord channels, and gathered a list of ten fantasy books from different people. Each person gave a different reason as to why something may be underrated or a good place to start. So, I’m just putting the list together. Regardless of if they are independent/small press releases or self published, the point was to pull people away from traditional publishers to try something new. These authors have stood by their stories, perhaps even surviving the trenches that is traditional querying, and worked tirelessly to make them the best they can. Every word of their efforts is worth checking out.
If you think I’m missing some that are big, or worth it, maybe I’ll add them or do another volume! Just comment below.
Below I will include the cover, purchase links, sub-genres, and synopsis of each. I won’t include each person’s commentary, but please remember these are all endorsed by avid readers!
Synopsis (Military & Epic Fantasy, Dragons & Mythological Creature Fantasy)
An action-packed epic fantasy adventure perfect for fans of Brandon Sanderson, Brent Weeks, and Robert Jordan
After a supernatural and unforeseen calamity shatters the tentative alliance of the five realms, the Deseran Dominion has returned to take back their homeland and restore their oppressive regime.
As the Dominion readies their troops for invasion, the fate of the entire world rests in the hands of a fugitive scientist, a powerful pacifist, and an unseasoned prince with little to guide them but their own ideals. With the freedom of a kingdom at risk, each must find their place in a world torn asunder.
The Seventh Cadence is a sweeping high fantasy epic of war, found family, and reckoning with fate.
Synopsis (Folklore & Fairytale Fantasy, Dark/Horror Fantasy)
Every evil has an origin…
In the Lord’s year 1303, a holy order of knights faces the brink of extinction. Their holy crusade falters as a fiendish monster from beyond the mist decimates their numbers. In desperation, the Knights Templar dispatch a unit to find an ancient relic hoping to tip the scales in the battle against the forces of darkness. Sir Marcus Le’heroux bravely leads the knights into the Hungarian wilderness, but when the weapon he finds buried in the Mátra Mountains turns out to be an awakened Soulstealer, he faces much more than he bargained for. Will the Order’s new weapon prove to be more monster than man?
Embark on the thrilling origin story of the death eater Oxivius Soulforge from the Baku Trilogy. Before being shaped by the Witch of Endor into the master of necromantic arts, he walked the earth as Soulstealer.
A Baku-verse Novel
Synopsis (Religious Fantasy)
“Life happened to most people, but Myndil Plodostirr happened to everybody else.”
When the abbot of the newly made Rogha an dá Dhíogha abbey meets Myndil Plodostirr, an orphan who thinks God speaks to him, he quickly decides that a talkative young man like Myndil is best left to himself. In the hopes of ridding the abbey of Myndil’s company forever, the abbot sends him out on an impossible mission: to make himself a missionary and unite all the surrounding kingdoms under the banner of one god. What begins as a jape ends in infamy as Myndil’s cheerfulness and goodwill accidentally bring about the Great War of the Dark Age.
Will Myndil heed the abbot’s will and convert the warring kings, or will he listen to the mysterious voice that plagues him and cause chaos across the British Isles?
Synopsis (Epic Fantasy)
An impulsive word can start a war.
A timely word can stop one.
A simple act of friendship can change the course of history.
Cliopher Mdang is the personal secretary of the Last Emperor of Astandalas, the Lord of Rising Stars, the Lord Magus of Zunidh, the Sun-on-Earth, the god.
He has spent more time with the Emperor of Astandalas than any other person.
He has never once touched his lord.
He has never called him by name.
He has never initiated a conversation.
One day Cliopher invites the Sun-on-Earth home to the proverbially remote Vangavaye-ve for a holiday.
The mere invitation could have seen Cliopher executed for blasphemy.
The acceptance upends the world.
Synopsis (Fairytale Fantasy, Black Fantasy)
Across the country, human teens are going missing, and all eyes are turning to the fae.
Seventeen-year-old Freddie is a human at a magically diverse boarding school who longs to report on the war-torn realms of Fairy. When humans disappear on campus, it’s the perfect opportunity to jump-start her journalism career. While the public blame the fae, Freddie wants facts. If she’s going to get published, she’ll need to find out who or what is behind these disappearances.
Aiden is a fae soldier with a murderous reputation. Raised in the dark fae court and forced to partake in the brutal Fairy Civil War, he thirsts for revenge against the realm which murdered his family. His new mission gives him the opportunity he’s longed for. But when Freddie snoops into his life, he questions if revenge is worth the price of his freedom.
Lured by her suspicions and distracted by his curiosity, Freddie and Aiden form a tenuous bond. But as their feelings for one another grow, so does the danger. Every clue points to Aiden as the kidnapper, and as his enemies close in, Freddie must make a choice: turn against him or fight for a relationship doomed to fail.
A Tale of Ashes is a fairy tale mash up, set in a world where all the creatures from your childhood stories live alongside humans. But these creatures are not who you remember.Readers of Holly Black and Cassandra Clare will enjoy this romantic contemporary fantasy where good and evil are not what they seem.
Synopsis (Action & Adventure Fantasy, Paranormal & Urban Fantasy)
EX-DEBUTANTE. SINGLE MOTHER. TREASURE HUNTER.
Disowned and left penniless for getting pregnant as a teen, former celebutante Olivia Talbot was willing to do whatever it took to provide for her daughter…including become a treasure hunter. After the Pulse hit, activating relics of legend, there are plenty of artifacts to be had—not to mention wealthy clients willing to pay top dollar for them.
Just as her daughter’s private school tuition cheque bounces, Livi gets an offer that could be the break she needs to return to some semblance of her former life. A powerful man wants her to travel to Ethiopia and retrieve the Seal of Solomon—a mythical ring said to control demons and djinn—and this bounty comes with one hell of a financial pay off.
The deadline: a week. The team: unreliable. The competition: her world-renowned archaeologist older brother. Nothing Livi can’t handle… Except the danger goes beyond a few subterranean serpent-dragons she might encounter or tangling with her employer’s deadly second-in-command. This client isn’t all he seems, and handing him the ring might be worse than what he’ll do to her—and her daughter—if she doesn’t.
Synopsis (Dark & Horror Fantasy, Romantic Fantasy)
Once upon a time, inhabitants of another world tore a hole through the universe and came to Earth. They called themselves Suriias, and rivalled humans in knowledge and skill with one great exception: they had magic.
War followed. Humanity lost. And three hundred years later, humans are on the brink of extinction.
Orphans Thorn and Thistle live in hiding. They are the last of their families, the last of their friends. They scrape by, stealing to survive and living on the streets or hiding in sheds. But even under the brutal regime of the Suriias, there are places where humans can mingle in secret with magical sympathisers, and one night Thistle gets an unexpected offer of marriage from a Suriia with high standing and friends in all the right places. For Thistle, it’s a chance at safety and comfort; for Thorn, it’s a chance to find the ones who killed her parents.
And so the pair move into the capital city of Courtenz. An urban monstrosity of magic and might, false friends and flying cars, drones and death tolls, the new city promises a fresh start – and new love – for both.
But if there’s one thing Thorn knows for certain, it’s that dreams can swiftly turn into nightmares.
Synopsis (Action & Adventure Fantasy, Sword & Sorcery Fantasy)
The bones of the dead hold stories.
On the fringes of Errigal, Morana longs to exchange a life of hiding for a peaceful one with her husband, Percy. While Percy’s bloodgift lets him grow plants and heal broken bodies, Morana’s a boneweaver, despised and feared because she can hear bones and raise the dead. Morana doesn’t want to be seen as a villain from the old stories and instead spends her time gardening, writing the stories of the dead, and fending off a spiteful chicken.
Morana and Percy’s lives are shattered when a group of Failinis tasked with capturing boneweavers and rogue bloodgifted find them. On the run and battling the elements, ancient creatures, and the loss of all they called home, Morana and Percy search for any sanctuary left in Errigal. Morana must choose between the call in her blood or the family she holds so close to her heart if she and Percy are to survive.
Please be aware that this book contains some scenes of violence, death, depression, mentions of miscarriage, birthing scenes, suicidal thoughts, suicide, and cannibalism.
Synopsis (YA Fantasy, Historical Fantasy, Sword & Sorcery Fantasy)
Two young men.
One with a dark past, the other with a bright future.
Cyrus is a storyteller frustrated by the mundane trappings of village life, while Prince Augustus struggles to meet high expectations after an upbringing of royal privilege in the bustling capital.
As both try to forge their own paths, a royal assassination unexpectedly closes the gap between them. The nation of Easthaven is thrown into war with their oppressive neighbours, and so begins a conflict from which neither can walk away.
Will a young prince finally measure up to his destiny? Will a storyteller create a legend of his own?
Cyrus and Augustus’s lives may seem worlds apart, but perhaps they aren’t so different after all…
Synopsis (Historical Fantasy, Sword & Sorcery Fantasy, Romantic Fantasy)
To fight for her future, she must first discover the magic of her past
Once great and powerful sorcerers, the Amasiti were hunted to the brink of extinction by the Hir and his followers. For four hundred years, their legacy faded from memory waiting for the hope of Aferi to be renewed…
In the Land of Yet
At the edge of the Forbidden Forest
A young woman lives alone.
Forced to fend for herself after the brutal murder of her family, Ameenah Yemini has made a life for herself as a master tanner and farmer, only venturing into the world to earn her living then return to the safety and seclusion of her home.
Until a chance encounter brings her work to the attention of the powerful Hir
And her careful life begins to unravel.
Drawn to the hidden magic that lingers in everything she touches, the new Hir insists on having her for himself, using the people around her to force Ameenah into his grasp.
When she realizes that her greatest enemy may hold the key to a secret she thought lost to her forever, Ameenah is determined to reclaim her stolen past. But, at what cost? As an ancient power waits to be unleashed, Ameenah’s choices will make the difference between awakening a new magic or delivering it into the hands of evil.
Regardless of the kind of reader you are, I truly believe there’s something above for everyone! Just looking through them while compiling this now, there’s standalone, trilogies, series, a slew of sub-genres from various authors. All hailing from different places across the world too.
I’m excited to check out the ones I haven’t read yet. I have plans to do one for sci-fi and horror, so if you’re a fan of those, be on the lookout–or contact me with suggestions!
Leave a Reply