Didn't Wildbow put up an ebook version after he finished? I'm pretty sure someone did, but I could be wrong.

If you're alright with 'young adult' books, check out the Young Wizards series. The first book is about a teenage girl, bullies etc, who basically signs a contract with the entities that created the universe to go around fixing shit and not be an asshole. All the books more or less revolve around her and her best friend going around the universe fixing shit while fighting.... Basically the devil, in a complicated kind of on-the-job training. I think there's nine books so far, and a couple spin-off books I haven't read. They're usually pretty well done, though parts irritated me. One of the bigger issues is that the author can't keep a consistent time for the setting, probably to keep up with technology, so in one book it's late 80's and a couple books later it's early 2000's, while only a couple years have passed. Also has issues with inconsistency in the small details, like the grade the main characters are in or how much younger someone's sister is then the main character.

I'll also recommend the Hatchet series, which is about a boy crash landing somewhere in the Canadian wilderness after the pilot has a heart attack and having to figure out how to survive.

The bartimaeus trilogy is fantastic, it's about a boy named Nathaniel becoming a magician (as in a demon summoner) in an alternate history where magicians are the ruling class.

As for adult books, check out the Twenty Palaces series. It's about a man named Ray Lilly working for an organization called the Twenty Palaces trying to hunt down mages using their powers in ways that harm normal people, though it's a great deal more complicated then that.

 

There are ebook versions out there, but Wildbow doesn't like/support them.

Have you read any books by Jean le Carre? If not, I'd recommend giving Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy a try.

For a more fantasy series, have you tried Terry Pratchetts Discworld series?

 

Isn't there a movie about that? I'll look them up, see if it's my kind of thing. Thank for the rec!

I read the Bartimeus Trilogy while back, not sure if I actually did read the last book, but I know I read the first two. Like them at the time, not sure if I would still like them now though.

The Hatchet series sounds interesting, I'll definitely add it to the list as well as the Twenty Palaces series.

I wanted to watch the movie when I saw the trailer, but never go around to it. I'll go for the book first! Thanks. I'm not sure about the Pratchetts series. I'm not much of a fan of comedy in book and this one seems like a satire of the sci-fi/fantasy genre.

 

There is a movie based on the book One Shot called Reacher. Not a bad movie at all, although in the books Jack Reacher is 6'5" 240 where as Tom Cruise is like 5 foot nothing. Thoroughly recommend them!

 

You already have them on your list, but I'll second The Lies of Locke Lamora (Book 1 of The Gentleman Bastards), and The Name of the Wind (Book 1 of the Kingkiller Chronicles). They are, in order, the best two books I've read in recent years. So good that I haven't been able to stick to reading completely any other book in the fantasy genre thus far, because everything else pales in comparison. I'm a sucker for excellent prose and clever, clever characters, and these books gave me both in Spades. Beware though, The Gentleman Bastards is one of those very rare series where the first book is better than the subsequent ones (at least in my opinion), but the whole series is brilliant as a whole, so that's not much of a letdown.

I also read The Three Musketeers a while back, and while my knowledge of French is rudimentary, I can definitely say the English version is wonderful. Definitely something to read if you're going to be reading the unabridged English translation.

 

I'm going to bump this with an update version of my reading list. I'm looking to expand a bit. I've still got some books left to read, but they are either already ordered or I haven't been in the mood to read them so far.

What am I looking for this time? I've stumbled upon The Martian movie trailer. And I've also read an AAR from Taure's thread. It has renew my interest for fiction based on establishing a society or survival. Things like the founding blocks of a society in a dystopian world (The 100 - TV) or the first space colonies (Avatar). It can be through one individual or with a community (The Martian vs. Avatar). Basically, I like to see how one would approach the problem of being self-sufficient in a new situation. Some fanfiction have done things similar, so here are a few - (SW:HP Revenge of the Wizards, Space Haven by Esama, The Guardian by Esama, Stargate Reopened by andrewjameswilliams).

Anyone has any recommendation in that genre?

 

Island in the Sea of Time by S.M. Stirling is a decent read. Enough so that it spawned its own genre. In this story the island of Nantucket, Massachusetts and a US Coast Guard cutter are sent back in time to the Bronze Age.

There are two sequels and a spin-off series starting with Dies the Fire.

 

Nothing beats Foundation for what you're thinking of. If you haven't read it, try getting your hands on the original Foundation trilogy by Issac Asimov. If you like it, then you'll also enjoy the other four books he's written in the series as well as the Robot series.

 

My problem with Azimov is his writing style. I can't stand it. I've read thd first 2 books of Foundation and that was as far ss I could get.

 

I personally aren`t the biggest fan of the Mistborn (the first book is entertaining but the rest of the series doesn`t match its quality and characters). But I will second the Stormlight archive which handles that a lot better.

My suggestion would be:

The Red Knight
It is one of the best fantasy series written in the last few years and has certainly elements of an origin story (though much of that is told via flashbacks and character interaction- at the start of the book the MC is a mystery that the various characters and you explore and get to know).

Blood Song
Gritty and dark fantasy where we follow the journey of a young boy to tragic hero.

The Last Kingdom (Saxon Chronicles)
This series (currently at 8 books) definitely fulfils your wish of being back of the character development of its hero (and the rest of his life). It is a about a young "british" noble who experiences the chaos of the "viking invasion" of England (and the later resurgence of the English) firsthand.

And my personal favourite:
Among Thieves
Not really an origin story but one of my favourite books and certainly worth checking out.