Do almost all fantasy books of the last two decades follow basically the same plot?

Sayna_R

I honestly haven't read much fantasy so if I come across as an unacquainted idiot, feel free to correct me.

Other than the 'A Song of Ice and Fire' series and probably 'The Abhorsen Trilogy' to a lesser extent, all seem to have the same premise: adolescent boy goes off on an adventure after not quite fitting in/being abused at his current residence, meets fantastic and mythical creatures and finds out where he truly belongs. Cases in point: the 'Karazan Quartet' books, 'Septimus Heap' series, 'Eragon' series, the 'Percy Jackson' books and the most famous example, 'Harry Potter'.

I'm not saying any of them are badly-written. On the contrary, I like most of these books but I would honestly like a little more refreshing premise in the genre. It seems like Tolkien set a precedent and almost everyone is just blindly following his lead.
@tagette: Thanks for the recommendations.

@cathrl69: Could you recommend some good adult fantasy novels?

Answer
To a certain extent I agree. I also agree with you about Martin and Garth Nix (to which I'd also add Alan Garner and Robert Holdstock.) I'm getting tired of seeing over-bloated trilogies with hackneyed prose and modern sounding idiom when in a non-modern setting. I always read the first ferw paragraphs of a book, looking for the 'hook'--if I don't find it, or seem to see fantasy characters that read like Americans in fancy dress at a Ren Faire, then it goes back on the shelf!

what are the 5 best books of the last decade?

Sexy_Daddy

Answer
Harry Potter 6
Harry Potter 4
Harry Potter 2
Harry Potter 5
Harry Potter 3

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