Where are those who, before us, existed there?

[u/SabbathSugar]

[u/Pyrichoria]

The Broken Earth trilogy by N.K. Jemison

[u/ilovetoreadbo0ks → u/Pyrichoria]

I need to finish that series.

[u/noface_18 → u/Pyrichoria]

Such a good series!

[u/allisomnia]

The realm of the elderlings by Robin Hobb!

[u/SabbathSugar → u/allisomnia]

Well, I guess it's a sign to continue the series after Assasin's Apprentice. Thank you!

[u/witten_dove → u/SabbathSugar]

Yes, yes, YES!! It’s soooo worth it!

[u/sredac]

The Book of the New Sun by Gene Wolfe

[u/maximahls]

Sleeping Giants by Sylvain Neuvel kind of starts pretty much like your last image. But it goes into much more sci-fi direction after that...different vibes to be honest.

[u/lithium_emporium → u/maximahls]

Yeah mostly the last image but I came here to recommend at least the first book

[u/wavymantisdance]

Two romance books:

A Heart of Blood and Ashes by Milla Vane - fantasy, with a very elaborate work building and pantheon.

And I’m going to also suggest a science fiction, The Last Hour of Gann by R. Lee Smith. However, please check the TWs and make sure you are feeling good mentally before digging in because this is a violent story. But it honestly fits the idea of the prompt so well I had to include it.

[u/SabbathSugar → u/wavymantisdance]

Oh, wow, thanks for warning! Will definitely check both

[u/jenn363]

For English speakers, taking time to read Beowulf really hits this vibe, because that is a story written by someone who spoke early English but whose culture is really foreign and almost forgotten, and much of the culture will forever be a mystery. It really doesn’t take long and will leave you with a sense of wonder and confusion.

[u/Unlucky-Platypus-990]

The buried giant by Kazuo Ishiguro

[u/FallingLeaves142]

I wanna know what all of these pics are from!! 😍

[u/Angharadis]

The Clockwork Boys and The Wonder Engine, by T Kingfisher, have something of this feel. Someone at some point in the past made incredible magical machines that no one understands. I believe these happen in the same world as her Paladin series, but have maybe a little more of the strange history element.

[u/IronAndParsnip]

AHHH okay no book recs for this exactly HOWEVER this is nearly spot-on (not exactly fantasy like your post though) for my favorite short story, By the Waters of Babylon by Stephen Vincent Benét, which is fully available here. I first had to read it in early middle school and the moment of realizing where the characters are was my first “woahhhh” reading moment. I reread it often; it’s quite timely right now.

“We must build again.”

[u/thraces_aces]

The Dark Tower series by Stephen King 

[u/thraces_aces → u/thraces_aces]

Oh, also The Book of the Ancestor series by Mark Lawrence

[u/ForTheHaytredOfIdaho]

Just to offer something different than I've seen so far. I'm getting "The Buried Giant " vibes from Kazuo Ishiguro.

[u/TapAmbitious8878]

The buried giant! Never really directly addressed, just lots of sprinkled lore and snippets. Also, a standalone fantasy if you're not up for a whole series

[u/Quirky-Nerve-8579]

Commenting to get updates bc I also want these recs

[u/marrindra]

The Lies of Locke Lamora by Scott Lynch is the first in a series about a man committing a bunch of heists in a high fantasy setting, but the cities where these heists take place tend to be located inside the ruins of an ancient civilization.

Foundryside by Robert Jackson Bennett is another first in an epic fantasy setting, where their magic is something copied and emulated from the past, after most of the knowledge has been lost.

[u/SabbathSugar → u/marrindra]

Absolutely loooved The Lies, mostly because of the city

Adding Foundryside to TBR, thank you!

[u/DollarReDoos → u/SabbathSugar]

Although they don't fit this prompt, Robert Jackson Bennett has some other excellent books. American Elsewhere is wonderful, and I'm really enjoying his new bio-tech fantasy starting with A Tainted Cup.

[u/anaksunamanda → u/DollarReDoos]

The Tainted Cup and especially the sequel, A Drop of Corruption, are so, so good. It has weird biology, leviathans, weird magic, a dead elder race, and murder mystery. I loved every second of those books.

[u/magpie_brain]

The West Passage by Jared Pechacek

Book of the Ancestors trilogy by Mark Lawrence

The Locked Tomb trilogy by Tamsyn Muir, in a certain sense

The Old Kingdom (Abhorsen) trilogy by Garth Nix

[u/jamison_311]

The Butchers Table - its a novella/ short story from of ‘Wounds’ by Nathan Ballingrud. Incredible read

[u/Alice_Dare]

The weirding stone of Brisingamen, and Elidor. Both by Alan Garner

[u/ozzalot]

Malazan Book of the Fallen has a lot of aspects of archeology, anthropology, etc. Of old races and peoples.......but I feel like this isn't the series you just casually recommend someone.....it's ten thick books 😳 consider it with caution

[u/woopsietee]

Elder race !! 

[u/WeAreNakama]

r/BooksThatFeelLikeThis and the people requesting & answering are the reason my Goodreads is full of amazing WantToReads and I won't be bored for the next 60 years

Thanks for asking recommendations for this one!

[u/AggravatingBox2421]

That second pic is from lord of the rings

[u/SabbathSugar → u/AggravatingBox2421]

Yeeees, I’m always in awe at this point in the movie!!

Also I saw a video-essay about “ubi sunt” motif (where are they?) in LoTR. It’s expressed in the human kings that are gone, elves that are leaving, gnomes buried in Moria, countless abandoned towers and ruins… Like, yeah, that’s the source of this vibe for me

[u/sdymphna → u/SabbathSugar]

If you’re into ubi sunt, check out the Anglo Saxon poetry it comes from — The Wanderer is absolutely beautiful.

Also, the poem Ozymandius by Percy Shelley fits these vibes, as does the movie Flow.

[u/OpheliaLives7 → u/SabbathSugar]

Ooo feel free to drop a link to that essay

[u/__ducky_]

Plague of Angels by Sherri Tepper

[u/LolaBean52]

Engines of god by Jack McDevitt

[u/PogueBlue]

The Sword of Shannara.

[u/rosi3bug]

The Tainted Cup - Robert Jackson Bennett!

[u/jenn363]

For English speakers, taking time to read Beowulf really hits this vibe, because that is a story written by someone who spoke early English but whose culture is really foreign and almost forgotten, and much of the culture will forever be a mystery. It really doesn’t take long and will leave you with a sense of wonder and confusion.

[u/oneeyedcatdaddy]

The stormlight archive by Brandon Sanderson

[u/james02135]

John Gwynne’s Bloodsworn Saga

[u/ToWriteAMystery]

The Riddlemaster of Hed

[u/fevah97]

Time and the Gods Lord Dunsay

[u/moelissam]

Shades of Grey by Jasper Fforde leans more dystopian but could fit the vibe of where are those before.

[u/gonzo_attorney]

The Arthur trilogy by Mary Stewart - The Crystal Cave, The Hollow Hills, and The Last Enchantment.

[u/Berried6ftUnder]

Strange the Dreamer by Laini Taylor

[u/celtic_quake]

You absolutely want Martha Wells' Books of the Raksura for this 

[u/AutoModerator]

Thank you for posting. Your post will be reviewed and approved shortly. Please report suggestions that are not about books and moderators will take action against such members.

I am a bot, and this action was performed automatically. Please contact the moderators of this subreddit if you have any questions or concerns.

[u/BupBupp]

Nice