Bonded magic books?

[moonfly7]

So I probably need to stop asking for book suggestions on here but I feel like I'm trying to navigate the globe without a map sometimes when I'm trying to find my next read in between books. This time I'm curious about books where the story revolves around magically bonding to creatures. Preferably magical creatures. And I've already read spirit animals and I dont want to get into how that particular series made me feel. I'm shooting for a certain vibe that these books often give me that's hard to explain. I can't really put it into words but it's a feeling that only these kinds of books really give me. So if you've got any suggestions let me know.

[DeTess]

It might be an idea for you to create just one 'book recommendations' thread to consolidate all your requests in. Just edit the OP with whatever you're looking for, and you could even use it to keep track of suggestions so others can find them easily as well.

Now, on to some actual suggestions. Without knowing what you're looking for exactly it's a bit hard to answer your question, but here's some shots in the dark nonetheless. The rain wild chronicles by Robin Hobb might qualify. It's about a group of teens/ early twenty-somethings accompanying a group of dragons that have mostly forgotten how to dragon in their search for the ancient dragon city of old.

The Stormlight Archive by Brandon Sanderson might qualify, in that the core magic system can only be sued if someone forms a bond with a kind of elemental spirit. The books explore that dynamic quite a bit, but ti's not solely about that.

The Vlad Taltos novels by Steven Brust might qualify. It follows the adventures of an assassins in a high magic world, and that assassin is magically bonded to a small dragon-like creature.

[moonfly7]

It might be an idea for you to create just one 'book recommendations' thread to consolidate all your requests in. Just edit the OP with whatever you're looking for, and you could even use it to keep track of suggestions so others can find them easily as well.

Now, on to some actual suggestions. Without knowing what you're looking for exactly it's a bit hard to answer your question, but here's some shots in the dark nonetheless. The rain wild chronicles by Robin Hobb might qualify. It's about a group of teens/ early twenty-somethings accompanying a group of dragons that have mostly forgotten how to dragon in their search for the ancient dragon city of old.

The Stormlight Archive by Brandon Sanderson might qualify, in that the core magic system can only be sued if someone forms a bond with a kind of elemental spirit. The books explore that dynamic quite a bit, but ti's not solely about that.

The Vlad Taltos novels by Steven Brust might qualify. It follows the adventures of an assassins in a high magic world, and that assassin is magically bonded to a small dragon-like creature.

All of those but the first one sound like exactly what I'm looking for. And I'll think about the suggestion for the thread but I fear that might he more confusing than helpful.

[Ibrinar]

The Stormlight Archive by Brandon Sanderson might qualify, in that the core magic system can only be sued if someone forms a bond with a kind of elemental spirit. The books explore that dynamic quite a bit, but ti's not solely about that.

Yeah the treat of litigation after bonding creates interesting dramatic tension. By gaining the power of the bond they also become vulnerable to the enemies lawyers culminating in the epic finale where the MCs have to fight without their powers because the enemy got the motion through that their powers shouldbe restricted until the process is concluded. So they have to fight a slowly losing battle untll they win the process. Of course after they curbstomp. (Sorry found the letter switch quite amusing^^)

Anyway good recommendations.

Talking about Robin Hobb and that chronicles, liveship traders plays earlier than that and has people binding to the liveships. But I haven't read it so not sure whether it fits.

[tomandtish]

Mercedes Lackey's Valdemar series. Heralds are spirit bonded to their Companions (which APPEAR as white horses).

[tiornys]

Most of the Valdemar books by Mercedes Lackey qualify. Basically, if the story includes Heralds and/or Tayledras then it involves bonding with magical horses/intelligent birds. edit: ninja'ed on this line! :smalltongue:

The Cycle of Fire by Janny Wurts technically qualifies, but the creatures in question are microbial (more or less) and adversarial so probably not the vibe you're looking for.

As a sidenote the Stormlight Archive also features special horses that bond with their riders, although they haven't been much of a focus so far.

Speaking of Brandon Sanderson, not creatures but you might get the sort of vibe you're looking for in the Skyward series (pilot bonds with intelligent spaceship) or Warbreaker (character bonded to an intelligent sword).

[moonfly7]

Most of the Valdemar books by Mercedes Lackey qualify. Basically, if the story includes Heralds and/or Tayledras then it involves bonding with magical horses/intelligent birds. edit: ninja'ed on this line! :smalltongue:

The Cycle of Fire by Janny Wurts technically qualifies, but the creatures in question are microbial (more or less) and adversarial so probably not the vibe you're looking for.

As a sidenote the Stormlight Archive also features special horses that bond with their riders, although they haven't been much of a focus so far.

Speaking of Brandon Sanderson, not creatures but you might get the sort of vibe you're looking for in the Skyward series (pilot bonds with intelligent spaceship) or Warbreaker (character bonded to an intelligent sword).

Adversial bonds are fine. Personally I think working through that can be very interesting.

[brionl]

The Bazil Broketail series is about a dragon and his boy. They aren't magically bonded, but they were raised together and are very close. They were also very good at the time I read them. There are intelligent wingless dragons that coexist and are largely dependent upon humans. The hatchlings are given into the care of orphaned humans (almost all boys, IIRC) and are expected to join the army and fight against the evil empire when they get old enough.
I don't recall if I ever actually read the last two in the series though. I probably just never noticed that they had come out.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bazil_Broketail

[GrayDeath]

No true magical Bonding, but a Dragon and his Tamer in a VERY different look at the napoleonic Wars, the Temaraire Series might intruige you.

The bond, while not magical (if youa sk them^^), is a central part of the books up to at least 5 /havent read the latter ones yet).

[Anteros]

Dragonriders of Pern is a pretty big series about children who bond to dragons and spend their lives together. It sounds right up your alley.

[Artemis97]

There was a series I read when I was younger, I think it was called The Seventh Tower by Garth Nix. The people who live in the towers bond to shadow creatures from the dream world Aenir. Children get very flexible little creatures, that can change their shape, but when you come of age, you go to Aenir and try to bond permanently with a powerful creature. What you bond with will set your path in life, kind of. A stong bond is the mark of a powerful magic user. Neat magic system involving sunstones and rainbow colors. There's a separate culture of the people who live on the ice outside the seven towers, too. Quite neat. The protagonists are one boy from the towers, and a girl from the ice. I forget how it all ends... I may have never finished them. Anyways, they are forced to strike a bargain when they go to Aenir, with interesting consequences.