I’m finishing the Stormlight Archive series right now and I think I need something with a bit less of the murder / war / violence aspect that many fantasy books have.
Does anyone know some (not necessarily fantasy) fiction books that are less ‘depressing’ and are easy to read?
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Any of the discworld series.
You can never, ever go wrong with Pratchett.
The last book is pretty heavy emotionally, but it’s so fucking beautiful that you’re still uplifted rather than made sad.
If you want something that’s essentially all comedy, go with the wizard section. The first couple are a little rough because he was a new writer, but they’re just so fun
If you want something a little more focused than farcical, the Death section is superb.
Probably the best onramp to discworld is the city guard section though. Guards Guards! Is the first. If you try that and don’t like it, you probably won’t like most of the rest.
The “industry” section is pretty damn fun in its own way, but tends to be a little more linear, so some folks like it better than the guards stuff.
My personal favorite is the witches/Tiffany Aching stories. Those two arcs are linked heavily, and really lean heavily on the characters and ideas of the witches section even in the Tiffany section. Witches start out more farcical, but end up as a good comedic fantasy. The Tiffany stuff was technically written as YA oriented, and the first two show it a lot. But the rest of those turn into this character driven fantasy that’s sublime. There’s still comedy, largely from the wee free men (which is the title of the first Tiffany book), but it’s as much a coming of age story as humor. Imo, the Tiffany stuff is Pratchett’s masterwork.
I know you said you weren’t looking specifically for fantasy, but I can’t think of any other series that manages to be funny, engaging, well plotted, and carry some serious stuff along the way as well. It’s all feel good fiction. If you can read any of it and be depressed, you’re screwed because it’s just that joyful, even the ending of it all.
Thank you, I don’t know how I forgot about Pratchett. Have been meaning to read the Discworld series for a while now
Oh you lucky duck.
I always envy someone reading it for the first time :)
Pratchett is one of the only authors who makes me laugh out loud consistently. Fantastic stuff.
The house in the cerulean sea
The Spellshop
The long way to a small, angry planet
They all make me feel warm and happy when everything else is too much!
Thank you!
Anything by Becky Chambers is guaranteed to make you smile, and I’d also like to mention the Murderbot Diaries, they are fantastic
The Monk and Robot series. Takes place in a postindustrial eco conscious society. A young monk decides to become a traveling tea maker (an actual profession, sort of a casual therapist).
Eventually they meet a robot that wants to learn about humans.
Thank you!
Another person chiming in to recommend anything by Becky Chambers! She is my favorite author of all time and her books are a warm light in what can be a shaky world we live in. The Monk and Robot novellas are a great place to start for a more philosophical and contemplative experience, but Wayfarers is what I read through first and they are all excellent. More of a universe building experience even though each story follows different characters (for the most part.)
I’ll second Small, Angry Planet. It’s not always a happy series (one of the books takes place in the aftermath of a catastrophic disaster) but it is always a hopeful series, utterly unlike the sci-fi I usually go for. It’s an indifferent universe full of very different people who will ultimately pull together and support each other, and that kindness prevails.
Howl’s Moving Castle trilogy was very gentle and got me through one of my darkest times, so I’ll always recommend it to people seeking a chill, comforting series.
For something a bit more modern the Legends & Lattes series has proven to be quite cozy, with a healthy dose of adventure mixed in. (It’s mostly coffee & pastry porn).
Would you say the first Stormlight arc ended at a good spot? I’m eager to start the series but have been staying away because it’s unfinished…
Thank you
Would you say the first Stormlight arc ended at a good spot? I’m eager to start the series but have been staying away because it’s unfinished…
I can’t say much about that, as I have still a couple of hundred pages left, but I would still recommend it as the first 4½ books have been an amazing read.
Also if you haven’t read the Mistborn series, I would highly recommend it as well, since there’s a bit of overlap between that and the later Stormlight books
(but also basically any other Sanderson novel lol)
Piranesi is a personal favorite of mine, overall uplifting.
Thank you.
This one’s already on my list and planned to read it after the least depressing book that I can find now 🙃Cool! It has some mystery and suspence, and is technically something that should be scary, but the protagonist is the narrator and nearly always has an optimistic wonder.
Thx, I’m gonna download and listen to that.
No problem! It was really refreshing for me when I read it last year, hope you enjoy it!
Fantasy:
- The Hobbit
Comedy/Sci-Fi:
- Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy
- The Martian
Thank you!
Seems like the Martian is really something that I should read (the other two are already on my bookshelf)
Legends & Lattes is a cozy, feel-good fantasy story.
Thank you! Sounds nice, I’ve just ordered the first book
If you’re open to sci-fi:
Nathan Lowell - Smuggler Series (3 books, starting with milk run) or Trader Series (first 6 books, starting with quarter share)
Smuggler has more… Intrigue and whatnot. Trader is pretty straightforward and “feel good”, iirc.
I would say read both series to those points before going further with the Seeker Series and later books. I forget where in the series but at some point the characters cross paths so having read both series before then helps it all fit together.
Oh boy, have I got a Dublin Trilogy for you
Just finished the fifth book in the trilogy and it was very good
Caimh McDonnell if you’re interested
Pronounced “Kweev”, obviously
A fifth book in a trilogy. The world is gonna burn…
Thank you!
The Expanse overall is a great story about selflessness and perseverance. Some of its darker but overall I’d call it hopeful if not happy.
The Reclaimers by Brian Sanderson is also incredibly hopeful.
The Practice Effect. Physicist tests teleportation device and ends up in a world where using something makes it better.
So if you use a sled enough it eventually becomes frictionless thus they never invented the wheel. MC basically becomes a wizard using engineering.
FKA USA was a humorous and relatively lighthearted -on the road- post apocalyptic satire set in the US
Dual Memory was light, easy to read, and had some creative ideas about robot intelligence tied in
I agree with the others that Becky Chambers novels feel like a warm hug.
The Sword in the Stone by T. H. White has always been a favorite of mine.
