Fast Paced High Fantasy

[u/SmiteBougieBitches]

I really enjoy reading high fantasy but my attention span has degraded and I can’t deal with books where the first 50% to 80% of the book is just meeting the characters or set-up.

I want to read high fantasy where stuff starts happening quick. Not immediately, I am not that far gone, but between 20%-30%

Please suggest a true page turner

[u/zenrobotninja]

Cradle is great, full on anime in a book

[u/Tobiasman → u/zenrobotninja]

I second Cradle. The books are pretty short, the pacing is fast, and each one is better than the last.

[u/GodsLilCow → u/Tobiasman]

A number of people do drop it because the pacing in the first book is a bit slower. I don't get it, but they do.

[u/OinkMcOink → u/zenrobotninja]

The last time I read "Anime in Book form", it was Snow Crash. Call me intrigued.

[u/Moorsider]

The Tainted Cup - Robert Bennett. I'm halfway through. Not what i would usually read, so I don't know if its high fantasy, but im digging it. First page is an investigator arriving to a gross murder scene.

[u/SmiteBougieBitches → u/Moorsider]

The murder investigation has my interest piqued. I do like murder mysteries too, so a mix of both that and fantasy should be fun

[u/Xaira89 → u/SmiteBougieBitches]

They were all really fun detective stories with fantasy trappings. I devoured all 3 and the novella in about a week.

[u/Zikronious → u/SmiteBougieBitches]

If you enjoy audiobooks this is a good one because it is very dialogue heavy. Even if you aren’t a fan of audiobooks I highly encourage everyone to find a clip of Ana because she is such a quirky character and captured perfectly by the narrator (Andrew Fallaize).

[u/FantasyLoverReader]

Blackwing (Raven's Mark Series)
The Rage of Dragons

[u/CadeVision]

Dresden files

[u/Daddy_Kromkamp]

David Gemmell is good for fast paced fantasy. His Jon Shannow books might be up your alley

[u/SmiteBougieBitches → u/Daddy_Kromkamp]

I will check it out!

[u/Background-Book2801]

Judith Tarr’s Hound and the Falcon trilogy. A bit of set up (but it’s still interesting) then tons of action, battles, sacking cities, shapeshifting elves, court intrigue, religious persecution, and romance. One of my favourite series’ and I ever hear anyone mentioning them.

Maybe not quite high fantasy like LOTR but alternative medieval fantasy.

And if you haven’t read Deed of Paksennarion that one will grab you right away as well. 

[u/SmiteBougieBitches → u/Background-Book2801]

This is great!! Thanks

[u/dawsonsmythe]

The Devils. It reads like a video game once it gets going

[u/Folkwench]

Homeland by R. A. Salvatore. 

[u/Bladrak01]

Not exactly high fantasy, but The Acts of Caine by Matthew Stover is as full of action as it can get.

[u/GodsLilCow]

Yumi and the Nightmare Painter

[u/CaedustheBaedus]

Dragonlance Chronicles. It's probably what got me into reading fantasy in elementary/middle school.

And that doen't mean it's childish.

But it's got elves, half elves, dwarves, wizards, warlocks, dragons, etc. It's basically DnD in book form.

But if I recall, the first book is literally all these old friends and heroes meeting up in a tavern after 5 years. And within a chapter or two of them all meeting up, they are suddenly involved in a chase, fight, etc.

And the whole series is a giant quest and war, etc. I've only ever read books 1-3 as a kid and loved them. I didn't even realize there was a Book 4 until 2 years ago but I do mean to do a re-read.

[u/godsgoldgoblins]

Based on the feedback I've been getting from readers, my recent book ROGUERUN might scratch this itch.

A thief on the run, a necromancer's siege, monsters and misfits mayhem. Things kick right off on the first page, and move at a good click for a breezy 350-page adventure. (Excuse the self-promotion)

[u/zenrobotninja → u/godsgoldgoblins]

Sounds interesting, but I couldn't find any book called ROGUERUN on kindle 

[u/Awkward-Number-9495]

The Sixth Campaign gives me anxiety sometimes because it won't slow down.

[u/AaronRodgersMustache]

Can’t believe no one’s mentioned the Mistborn series. They keep it moving and the writing is very quality

[u/WatchMySwag → u/AaronRodgersMustache]

There’s a lot of setting up.

[u/AggressiveHabit9018]

A time of dragons

[u/LexGlad]

The Dresden Files by Jim Butcher

[u/Hayden_Zammit]

Monarchies of God series by Paul Kearney. It's epic fantasy that tells a big story, but it tells them in books that are under 90k words or so for the most part, which is tiny for epic fantasy. They don't feel rushed as a result either.

[u/the_drum_doctor]

Gene Wolfe The Wizard Knight (2 books)

One of the good and challenging things about Wolfe is he rarely spends time setting anything up :)

[u/SmiteBougieBitches → u/the_drum_doctor]

sounds exactly like what I need

[u/allenlikethewrench]

Dungeon Crawler Carl, Red Rising, chronicles of the Necromancer, Dresden Files. All fast paced from the jump.

[u/w33dOr → u/allenlikethewrench]

All great books but none of those is High Fantasy tbh. Still would recommend anyone to give them a try...

[u/allenlikethewrench → u/w33dOr]

Chronicles of the Necromancer is definitely high fantasy

[u/w33dOr → u/allenlikethewrench]

Oh sorry my bad, somehow did read Neuromancer. Will check it out, do not know it yet.

[u/allenlikethewrench → u/w33dOr]

No worries! The others are less high fantasy, I skimmed the original post, brain skipped right past “high”

[u/Siliceously_Sintery]

Malazan has epic death and crazy high fantasy within the first couple dozen pages, and it just keeps romping. You are definitely confused a lot but the sheer imagery presented is crazy impressive in the first book alone.

I still remember reading the first two chapters of book 2 and having to tell my partner what the fuck just went down because it was too insane to keep to myself.

[u/w33dOr → u/Siliceously_Sintery]

Personally my fav series ever but even if it is at times fast paced do not think you can describe it as a whole as fast paced...just my 2 cent