The best books for those looking for humor, romance, a dash of fantasy, and perhaps a touch of violence

American Gods was my first foray into the world of Neil Gaiman and has not been the last.

Dark and gritty, American Gods is the story of Shadow, a man released from prison early following the tragic death of his wife. We follow his existential struggle as he experiences such profane trauma and sorrow while simultaneously wading into a war between gods both old and new fighting to stay relevant in a world of people that care less about ancient religions.  

But, for me at least, the story about the gods struggling to stay relevant was overshadowed (pun intended) by Shadow’s own traumatic dealings with not only the ghost of his deceased wife, but his own mysterious origins as well. In the end, there is a victory. Not complete, mind you, but a significant step in the overcoming of overwhelming trauma that casts a hopeful view for Shadow’s future.

For any true Science Fiction fan, the Hyperion Cantos is a must read.

From enthralling character stories to sweeping galactic battles between humans and AI from both the past, present, and future. Usually, folks don’t choose The Rise of Endymion as their favorite from the Cantos, and would rather select Hyperion and its award-winning Canterbury Tales style writing regarding seven pilgrims and their struggle with the immortal Shrike.

But I, am a glutton for a good love story, and Raul and Rachel’s story is one that I find myself thinking of often.

If you’ve read the other 3 books of the Cantos then you know Raul is not the smartest, the strongest, or most willing protagonist. In fact, he’s pretty much the layman with basic skills and a bland history. But it doesn’t matter. He’s always there when it counts, he’s stalwart and trustworthy and he won’t let you down when shit hits the fan.

When he and Aenea (essentially space-Jesus) fall in love it is a time-travelling decade-long tale in the making and I loved every minute of it. 

The Name of the Wind is a beautifully told tale of Kvothe and his conflict with the Chandrian (mystical beings of suspect nature existing in a parallel plane).

After the murder of his parents and troupe, Kvothe goes claw his way through the city streets and then on to scheme through the ranks of the Magical Academy, looking for evidence of and information about his parents' killers. There is love, music, magic, and mystery with a dash of wit and violence.

The Gunslinger is the first of seven in King’s acclaimed Dark Tower fantasy series, and it was also the first book of King’s that I had ever read at the time.

It is the story of the gunslinger and his mythic quest to catch the man in black. Of course, the series gets way more complex, but the Gunslinger is a short novel with wide ideas, morally complex characters and is a great beginning for a stellar series.

I picked it up as a freshman in college at the urging of a friend at a time when I was alone in a new world and haven’t regretted a moment of it (there are several things that freshman year that I do regret but that certainly was not one of them).  

Every entry of Brandon Sanderson’s Stormlight Archive is epic, hands down.

Filled with fantasy lore, action, weird magic, and displeased gods, yes, there is something good to say about every book in the series so far. But book 2, Words of Radiance, is filled with moment after moment where I found myself standing up and pumping my fist in the air after the story’s main protagonist does something terrifically badass, especially in the latter half of the novel.

It’s got all the other good stuff, too. Like its predecessor, The Way of Kings, it has plenty of light humor, moments of shared brotherhood in the face of oppression, complicated characters, sweeping battles…but those moments of tension building followed by resounding victory are excellently written and gets my heart pumping to this day.