J.R. Tolkien is a master of world-building. The Lord of the Rings, without the extensive background information plotted and constructed by this genius of a man, becomes a random story no one would believe.
One user mentioned, “The Books of the Raksura series by Martha Wells has the most phenomenal fantastical world-building of anything I've read in a while. Got some great characters too!"
For another user, Red Rising‘s “Characters are so incredibly well-drawn and layered, in a fascinating universe, with amazing action and a character-driven story. There are five books, and you'll devour them all.”
U/ wehopethatyouchoke03 said, “Mystery against a backdrop of pre-apocalypse America that’s six months away from being hit dead-on by a massive asteroid that will likely kill nearly all life on the planet. So, so good.”
A few users mentioned their fondness for the acclaimed late 2000 series about survival in a corrupt government. Perfect for those who want a quick, adrenaline-pumping read with likable characters.
User U/Altruistic_Yam1372 shared, “Lockwood & Co. is a pretty fun series that you can devour quickly. It has fun, witty characters, a gradual but good world-building, good humour, and good scares.”