Public reader discussion about Shaman in the WeRead Catalog by Robert Shea.
By putty_sky
Hi everyone! I’m trying to find books set around the late Stone Age / early Bronze Age that have animistic and shaman-type vibes. I just finished Wolfbane from the Wolf Brother series and I’m hoping for something with a similar feel, but ideally more geared toward adults rather than YA. Any recommendations? Thanks :)
By skyValley
I’m reading American Gods by Gaiman right now, and there’s one bit I’ve gotten to so far that I absolutely love. It starts with the casino and all the sounds and pull of the place, and then it gets to this idea that the real thing people are after isn’t even winning money. It’s more like they go there to lose, to feel that rush and get caught up in it for a while. That whole thought just really got me. Then it shifts into the counting room and the money moving through the casino, and the way he describes the people working there is so good. They’re counting stacks of cash all shift, thinking about maybe taking off with it, but they know it’s not really possible, so they just keep their regular jobs and avoid jail or worse. I don’t know, it just feels so vivid and cool to me. I stopped there because it keeps going in a different direction after that.
By ink_rusty
I’ve been trying to find books about Korean shamanism, or at least Korean folktales and the myths that are native to the country. It just feels like a lot of what I see about Korea gets filtered through a Christian lens, and I’m not really sure that’s what I’m looking for. I don’t care much about genre, but I’d really like something written by a Korean author (or someone who clearly knows the culture well), because I want it to be as accurate as possible.
By JCurious
I’m trying to find some fantasy books where the main character is a shaman, or where shamanism is actually a big part of the story. Or honestly, even just good source material. Does shamanism show up a lot in fantasy literature? I feel like I see it more in online games but I’m not sure about books. Thanks in advance! Edit: also, thanks to everyone who replied—really appreciate it, you’re all great.
By proudJar
I’m just wondering—why did it hit for you? What made that book stand out? And quick question: was the main character a shaman or did I miss that? I’d love to hear your thoughts, and if you’ve got any other recs, I’m all ears :)
By cipherSail937
I’m trying to find more fantasy that scratches any of these itches. Would Dune actually count? It’s on my list, but I’m not 100% sure it matches what I’m looking for. I’d also love anything with a really strong “apprentice learns from a wise mentor” vibe. I ended up enjoying Robin Hobb’s Soldiers Son trilogy mainly because of the shaman/spiritual side of it, even though I know people don’t always rate it the highest. It was the first Hobb I read, so I might be a bit biased. And I’m definitely into stuff that leans hard into visions, spiritualism, that kind of thing. One last thought: I get the sense the Stormlight Archive might touch some of these themes too, especially with how it handles magic, but I’m a little hesitant because of the author’s personal religious beliefs. I’m fine reading books by people of any faith—I just worry about it feeling like “mormon ethics/ideas” are pushing through the story too much. Sorry if that came off a bit blunt.
By Patience_Badger
It’s kind of wild how many video game tie-in books there are—like Mass Effect, Dead Space, Resident Evil, Halo, and a bunch of others. They’re either straight-up tied to what happens in the game or they’re in the same world. I’ve always skipped them though, mostly because I figured they’d be kinda low effort. Has anyone actually read these and had them turn out to be really good? Also, to make sure we’re on the same page: I mean books based on game series that were made after the games, not stuff like The Witcher or Metro 2033 that existed before.
By OliviaLovesBooks90
I’m on the hunt for books that really go all out—big “wow” factor, mind-melting, epic cosmic weirdness. Like the sort of thing you get with the Xeelee stuff (Baxter), House of Suns (Reynolds), or Diaspora (Egan). The scale feels massive, and the concepts are smart and kind of wild. What else should I read? And please, no Blindsight.