Six fantasy series to start in the New Year

New Year, new you, right? Or should that be “New Year, new reads”? I think I prefer that approach. After all, you’ve got a whole twelve months of reading ahead of you. As clean and clear as freshly driven snow. So, without further ado, here are six fantasy series you can get started on now that will ensure you have a great year of reading!

The Gentlemen Bastards

I’ve talked at length about how much I love The Lies of Locke Lamora – it’s quite simply, brilliant. But it’s also followed by two other books, Red Seas under Red Skies, and Republic of Thieves. Together, these three books make up the current iteration of The Gentlemen Bastards sequence – with the next in the series, The Thorn of Emberlain, reportedly close to having a release date (it might even be 2026 👀).

The books follow the exploits of The Gentlemen Bastards, a group of roguish thieves who serve the thirteenth, secret god of the world they inhabit. This is the god of thieves and, by implication, general mischief. Trained by the brilliantly written Father Chains in book 1, I almost guarantee you will fall in love with the primary cast of characters in this series—most notably, Locke Lamora and Jean Tannen.

This dynamic duo are the main focal point of the books, but the universe itself is also brilliantly crafted. The city of Camorr, which is the main setting for book 1, sets the tone beautifully. And while the settings in book 2 aren’t as strong (in my opinion) they are still very well realised. The casino-cum-gangster-headquarters known as the Sinspire is a great setting for the heist-like approach for this story. Book 3 then opens things out a bit more, reintroducing an important character who only really gets off-page mentions and also throwing our protagonists into the mix with the deadly bondsmages they encounter in book 1.

Deadly encounters are kind of a recurring theme in The Gentlemen Bastards. I won’t go so far as calling these books grimdark, because I always view that genre as being lacking in fun (and The Gentlemen Bastards is most definitely fun). It is however, about as far from cosy fantasy as you’ll probably get. I myself prefer the term gritty fantasy (I often use it to describe my own books) and that is exactly what you’ll get from reading The Gentlemen Bastards.

The First Law

Speaking of gritty fantasy, why not throw yourself into one of the best series ever inked? The First Law books, as I’ve already opined here, are absolutely spectacular examples of what this genre can offer.

Often broken down into three trilogies (The First Law trilogy, the Great Leveller books and the Age of Madness trilogy) I prefer to view this body of work as one. Nine full-length novels (plus a collection of short stories) that all take place in the great “Circle of the World” and cover all manner of seedy politics, brutal war, dark magic and a deep exploration of loose morals on every page.

The character work in The First Law books is what will grip you, because there is no way of defining anyone in these stories as a true “hero” – but you will find yourself empathising—and even siding—with characters who do, quite frankly, heinous things. It shows an understanding of how nuanced, complicated and messy people are. There is no black and white, and even the many shades of grey have tints of other colours, too.

All I will say is that, when people haven’t enjoyed these books, I tend to find it’s because they stopped after putting down book 1 in the series (The Blade Itself). If you find yourself in this camp, or are unsure about your enjoyment of these highly-rated books, I would encourage you to give book 2 a try before making a call on whether or not to continue. I find that most folks who do that will then tear through the rest of the series.

The Turned

Similar to The Gentlemen Bastards sequence, this series is also unfinished. However, it’s well worth getting started on for two reasons:

1. Book 2 is due for release in 2026…
2. …and book 3 will follow closely behind.
3. The books are written to be enjoyed as stories in their own right, rather than just as a set-up to whatever comes next

I can say all of the above with complete confidence, because these are my books. I published The Sins of Steel and Shadow in 2025 and am working through the final edits of the next book in the series now (or I will do, after I’ve written this article). So, aside from book 1 being written as a contained story (and the start of an exciting new series) why should you read them?

Well, if gritty fantasy is your vibe (and if you’re still reading this article after my first two recommendations, I think it probably is) then The Turned series sits very much within that genre. We follow our main character Bail, who is a Turned. Turned are former humans who are taken by vampyrs and forcibly (and irreversibly) changed into something that is neither human nor vampyr, but something in between. Most humans don’t survive the process, but for those unfortunate few who do, they suddenly find themselves hated and reviled by both species.

Faced with this new dilemma, most Turned don’t survive long. But our protagonist has made survival his speciality—only, as we join the story—the ground at his feet is quickly shrinking, and he knows he needs a way out before it disappears entirely.

Cue a mysterious benefactor, a band of misfits and a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity…and chaos ensues.

I never wrote this book with stories or legends of vampires in mind. They were simply colour to a world I wanted to create where two diametrically opposed entities (humans and vampyrs) were forced to exist alongside one another. And in the middle of that, I wondered how one person’s struggle might reshape everything…

Intrigued? Start reading the first instalment of the Turned books today, you’ll have plenty more to come—that much I promise you!

The Rigante

I’ve written before about how the Rigante stories are the best Gaelic-fantasy books out there, but now is the perfect time to open them up. Not only because they are so good, but because—if it’s your first foray into the world of David Gemmell books—you will have an absolute plethora of stories to choose from after you’ve finished ’em.

The books follow the trials and tribulations of the Rigante clan, a Celtic-inspired tribe that closely resembles a retelling of Scottish history across two eras. Namely, the encroachment of the Roman empire (the Empire of Stone, in this case) and—centuries later—the oppression of the Scots by the English (Varlish) in-and-around a 16th Century setting.

As such, the series is split into two parts, with a pair of books covering each era. The first two feel about as close to Gaelic-fantasy as you’re likely to get, and the second duology are more akin to flintlock; so there’s something for everybody!

As with all Gemmell books, they are fast-paced and easy to digest, but shouldn’t be mistaken for stories without depth. The character work can feel a bit one-dimensional at times (although that’s less of an issue with the Rigante books, specifically) but you’ll be having so much fun that it won’t really matter, anyway!

The Dark Tower

As with the Rigante books, I’ve already waxed lyrical about The Dark Tower series on this blog – but if there’s on series you read for the first time this year (aside from my own, of course) then I implore you to read this epic.

Seven books. One goal. Get to the eponymous Dark Tower. It sounds so simple, but what follows is an extravagant adventure that sometimes even overreaches a touch. But don’t let that stop you from picking up a copy of The Gunslinger and getting started on it. All I will say is that, even if you don’t particularly gel with the series’ opener (it is very western-fantasy coded) I’d recommend you at least give book 2 (The Drawing of the Three) a go before making your judgement on whether or not you want to complete the entire affair.

Reading The Dark Tower series will genuinely be a seminal moment in your reading journey, and I highly suggest you dive in, in 2026!

The Lord of the Rings

Now, it’s highly likely that you’ve already read The Lord of the Rings trilogy. After all, this is the blog of a fantasy author, and you probably came across this post because you’re looking for new fantasy worlds to immerse yourself in. As such, it’s safe to say that the LOTR books have either already been read (and reread) or are—at the very least—already on your radar.

Nevertheless, if you haven’t read The Lord of the Rings yet, let this be your sign from the universe to make 2026 the year that you finally pick them up and absolutely lose yourself in Tolkien’s epic trilogy.

A forerunner to so many more fantasy books, I can’t say much more that hasn’t already been said about The Fellowship of the Ring, The Two Towers or The Return of the King, but let me sum it up by saying that if stories are magic (and I firmly believe that they are) then The Lord of the Rings books are among some of the most powerful and potent out there.

📚✌🏻SP

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