[Books] Medieval Fantasy smart main character

[Neteyes]

I'm looking for books with a similar main character to maybe Kvothe from Kingkiller Chronicles and Ged from the Earthsea books, in that they pick up everything really quick and are generally smart.
Mostly interested in medieval fantasy. It'd be interesting if you could follow him grow up like those two books too.
I just got done reading the Kingkiller books and it got me interested :P Not sure there's been many books like what I'm looking for though.

[Reeve]

I'm looking for books with a similar main character to maybe Kvothe from Kingkiller Chronicles and Ged from the Earthsea books, in that they pick up everything really quick and are generally smart.
Mostly interested in medieval fantasy. It'd be interesting if you could follow him grow up like those two books too.
I just got done reading the Kingkiller books and it got me interested :P Not sure there's been many books like what I'm looking for though.

Try the Stormlight Archives by Brandon Sanderson.

Kaladin's pretty damn quick on the uptake.

[paperfire]

Try the Stormlight Archives by Brandon Sanderson.

Kaladin's pretty damn quick on the uptake.

I second this. At here are only two books out but they are great.

[Jarion]

Check David Eddings. Start with the Belgariad series. Sounds right up your alley.

[Neteyes]

Try the Stormlight Archives by Brandon Sanderson.

Kaladin's pretty damn quick on the uptake.

I'll check it out thanks!

Check David Eddings. Start with the Belgariad series. Sounds right up your alley.

Yeah, David Eddings is a great author! I've already read most of his work, but The Belgariad series are definitely some of my favorite books.

[Dasffion]

Check David Eddings. Start with the Belgariad series. Sounds right up your alley.

I'll agree with David Eddings but I think that the Elenium and Tamuli would be more appropriate, at least from the beginning. Garrion takes awhile to become "smart".

Stormlight Archives are a definitely a good choice.

I just finished reading the Empire trilogy by Raymond E. Feist and Mara is a super smart woman. You'll probably want to read the Riftwar Saga for a bit of backstory but those are excellent books as well so not a big deal.

[braeldiil]

I'm looking for books with a similar main character to maybe Kvothe from Kingkiller Chronicles and Ged from the Earthsea books, in that they pick up everything really quick and are generally smart.
Mostly interested in medieval fantasy. It'd be interesting if you could follow him grow up like those two books too.
I just got done reading the Kingkiller books and it got me interested :P Not sure there's been many books like what I'm looking for though.

There's a metric ton of books like that. The hyper-competent hero is a really common trope.

For instance, you just described the basic plot of every L.E. Modesitt book. Try the Magic of Recluse or The Towers of Sunset.

Jim Butcher's Codex Alera series also absolutely fits, and even follows the same main character for 5? books as he grows up. Start with Furies of Calderon.

[Reeve]

There's a metric ton of books like that. The hyper-competent hero is a really common trope.

For instance, you just described the basic plot of every L.E. Modesitt book. Try the Magic of Recluse or The Towers of Sunset.

Jim Butcher's Codex Alera series also absolutely fits, and even follows the same main character for 5? books as he grows up. Start with Furies of Calderon.

Colors of Chaos is probably the best Modesitt book, imo, and Cerryl is the most relateable character. Unfortunately, The White Order book leads into Colors of Chaos, and The White Order is boring as hell.

I like the sort of day to day life tonality of Modesitt's books though. I imagine most readers would consider that boring though, so I think the Stormlight Archives are a better bet, and they're really fantastic books too.

[Dasffion]

I enjoyed the Modesitt books at first but after about 5 or 6 they all seemed rather formulaic and repetitive to me.

[braeldiil]

I enjoyed the Modesitt books at first but after about 5 or 6 they all seemed rather formulaic and repetitive to me.

Yeah, he really only has the one story in him. But it's exactly the story the OP was looking for, and he tells it pretty well, so it's still a good recommendation.

[medievalman1]

Gonna throw my vote for suggesting the Stormlight Archive (second book is a monster at over 1000 pages). Beauty of Brandon Sanderson and MOST of his books are the incredibly vague-but-there (usually) connections linking the worlds together, it allows for appreciating the stories in their respective series' and even moreso for those that keep up on his others (again, most of them, some are completely unrelated).

[Reeve]

I enjoyed the Modesitt books at first but after about 5 or 6 they all seemed rather formulaic and repetitive to me.

They are formulaic for sure, but Cerryl is a bit of a change from Dorrin/Lerris/Justen/Creslin insasmuch as he's a white mage, for starters, and also the he belongs to the guild, is part of an establishment. All of Modesitt's other characters are in some way castaways, thrown out of their homes to make something of themselves on their own. Cerryl, by contrast, has to figure out how to work within a corrupt system, which feels more like the real world to me. Plus, Cerryl just seems like the smartest of all the Modesitt characters.

[Zao]

Mistborn series might also fit the trope.


And if it doesn't have to be medieval you should try out the Dresden Files and Garret PI series.

[Dasffion]

Colors of Chaos is probably the best Modesitt book, imo, and Cerryl is the most relateable character. Unfortunately, The White Order book leads into Colors of Chaos, and The White Order is boring as hell.

I like the sort of day to day life tonality of Modesitt's books though. I imagine most readers would consider that boring though, so I think the Stormlight Archives are a better bet, and they're really fantastic books too.

I quit somewhere between The Death of Chaos and The Chaos Balance so I never got to Cerryl. I've been thinking about giving them another shot though, It's probably been about 10 years since I've read them.

[Reeve]

I quit somewhere between The Death of Chaos and The Chaos Balance so I never got to Cerryl. I've been thinking about giving them another shot though, It's probably been about 10 years since I've read them.

Well if you do, you should read Colors of Chaos. If you're familiar with the Modesitt formula, you could probably skip The White Order.

[Dhrizzle]

Not the Wheel of Time, Rand al'Thor knows less than Jon Snow.

[Halicia]

I just finished reading the Empire trilogy by Raymond E. Feist and Mara is a super smart woman.

haha. that was exactly the series I was going to recommend.

gonna have to read through that again, been ages. i think they stand on their own from the Riftwar Saga tho, with no further reading necessary.

[braeldiil]

Mistborn series might also fit the trope.


And if it doesn't have to be medieval you should try out the Dresden Files and Garret PI series.

The Garrett books are good (and fantasy, if not high fantasy), but don't really match what the OP was looking for. They're detective noir fantasy, and Garrett's by no means the smartest or most competent person around. I really like them, but it's not the what the Op was asking about.

The Dresden books are also good, but Codex Alera is the same author and exactly what the OP was asking about.

[Ammeg]

No idea if these are useful but Robin Hobb is an amazing writer (imo) she does a few series:
The Farseer Trilogy
Liveship Traders Trilogy
The Tawny Man Trilogy
The Rain Wilds Chronicles

Are all from one universe, then there are some more from another those are the Soldier Son Trilogy

Again, not sure if that is what you are looking for as haven't read the ones you have Although they do follow characters and watch them grow, so might tickle your fancy even if they aren't exactly what you want.

[obdigore]

Eww @ Robin Hobb.

@OP -> Try the 'Thorns' series by Mark Lawrence if you want an anti-hero thats pretty smart.

Try Blood Song by Anthony Ryan.

Codex Alera is probably the best suggestion so far, especially since the thing that sets whats-his-face (Tavi, iirc?) apart is his intelligence.

If you feel like going Sci-Fi, you could try Dune. (Only read the stuff written by Frank Herbert). Paul Atredies is smart as hell.

If you want urban fantasy, you might want to try the Alex Verus Novels by Benedict Jacka. Verus doesn't have 'battle magic' like the previously mentioned Harry Dresden, and has to rely on his intelligence to get him through stuff.

As for the Modesitt Jr books. Some of his protagonists are smart, some are dumb as a box of rocks, the thing they have in common is that they are strong. If you want to try the Recluce books, do the 'Lorn' duo of Magi of Cyador and Scion of Cyador.