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We chose varied fantasy fiction, traveling from Tolkien’s Mordor to Nnedi Okorafor’s unnamed African country and imagined societies in between.
When you hear the word fantasy, you might think of magicians and talking animals, and dismiss the genre in favor of more “adult” literature. That would be a mistake. There is a broad, rich spectrum of books that find themselves in the fantasy category, from YA all the way to treasured literary classics, the unifying thread being that they bend reality in pleasing, terrifying, and enchanting ways.
There was a time, in recent memory, when fantasy fanatics hid their love for sword and sorcery from the world, when talk of wizards and warlocks was relegated to comic book conventions and groups of sweaty teens huddled around card tables in suburban basements. That time is past—we are in the Era of the Nerd, when Game of Thrones was the most popular TV show of all time, when Amazon began throwing tens of millions of dollars at fantasy IP, and Dungeons and Dragons is proudly played by celebrities like Joe Manganiello and Joseph Gordon-Levitt.
Fantasy might be the oldest literary genre, with a foundation in ancient tales like the Illiad and Beowulf. It often uses magical devices as a foil for the real world, speculating on how society would act and react if the rules of reality were different. Some stories establish elaborate universes and characters, spreading them over many volumes, so that fans will keep coming back for more. And others spawn generations of copycats and derivations, including numerous high-budget movies and TV shows, from Lord of the Rings to the Marvel Comic Universe.
Literature is both a way of escaping the real world and understanding it, being entertained while learning about the nature of the self and exploring the possibilities of human emotion and imagination. Fantasy is one of the purest and best examples of how books can accomplish that dual role of escapism and exploration. Thus, coming up with a list of the 25 best fantasy books of all time is no small task. In fact, it’s impossible, with such a diverse and wildly varying selection. Instead, let’s think of this as a gateway into this cosmically satisfying genre via some of the greatest fantasy writers who've reached for the stars in offering us these 25 out-of-this-world novels.
The Dark One, an evil force imprisoned inside a weakening cell, threatens the world. The Dragon Reborn, a reincarnated savior with powerful magical abilities, is born to a dying warrior woman on the slopes of a snowy mountain. Accompanied by a band of village youths, he seeks to defeat the Dark One, in The Wheel of Time, the sprawling, 14-book series. The depth of world-building is incredible, the characters indelible, and it comes to satisfying conclusion.
A civil war breaks out in the kingdom of Westeros, and House Stark finds itself embattled in a bitter conflict with the rest of the Seven Kingdoms. Meanwhile, a displaced queen gathers an army to retake her former home while an evil force from the icy North threatens to wipe out humanity. A Song of Ice and Fire is a gritty, realistic fantasy series where magic and mythical species take a back seat to political machinations and impeccable character development.
An assassin from a faraway land murders the Alethi King, Galivar. Five years later, Galivar’s brother, Dalinar, leads a war of attrition against the race of monstrous creatures known as the Parshendi who are blamed for the killing. Meanwhile, Kaladin, a disgraced former soldier turned slave, and Shallan, a noblewoman from a powerless family, seek to improve their fortunes in seemingly disconnected ways, while an ancient force of power intent on exterminating the world of men pulls the strings.
The armies of Men, Elves, and Dwarves square off against Sauren, a god-like villain who leads a tide of Orcs and Trolls bent on consuming the world. Frodo Baggins and his loyal friend Sam embark on a quest to deliver a magical ring to the fires of Mordor, guided by the wizard Gandolf. The Lord of the Rings is required reading for fantasy fanatics, notable for its rich and detailed world, satisfying story of loyalty and courage, and fanciful characters.
A magical staff wielded by a powerful sorcerer leads a hostile takeover of Unseen University and subverts its wizardly faculty into a campaign of world domination. The cowardly Rincewind, a wizard incapable of performing magic, and Canina the Hairdresser (daughter of Conan the Barbarian) attempt to come to the rescue with mixed, zany results. Terry Pratchett’s hilarious, inventive, and rich Discworld novels are an interconnected series of 41 books that can pretty much be read in any order.
On the unforgiving desert planet Arrakis, where water is more valuable than gold and giant worms eat mining rigs whole, House Atreides attempts to ally with the local Fremen people to battle their historical foe, House Harkonnen, for supremacy. Paul Atreides is the young heir to his house, prophesied to lead humankind to a better future. Combining political intrigue, environmentalism, and mysticism, Dune remains relevant to conversations about consumption and stewardship of our planet nearly 60 years after publication.
In a dark, brutal world where magic users are feared and hated, those lucky enough to avoid being lynched by ignorant townspeople are forced to live as slaves, part of the Fulcrum, an organization tasked with limiting the damage caused by the frequent tectonic shifts that wrack the land. Meanwhile, three women in disparate stages of life, all of whom possess the forbidden gift of Oregeny, embark on dangerous journeys. The Fifth Season is a tragic and beautiful post-apocalyptic yarn.
A chronicler records the story of a washed-up hero turned innkeeper; an orphaned boy named Kvothe who comes from humble beginnings becomes a wizard university’s most talented pupil, attracting enemies with the speed of his rise. Obsessed with escaping poverty and discovering the mystery behind his parents’ murder, Kvothe pushes his luck and talent to the limit. Rothfuss constructs a compelling world with richly detailed economies, cultures, and history that is home to a thrilling story.
The island of Camorr is a city divided between powerful criminal gangs and a mercantile nobility. A sticky-fingered young orphan named Locke is raised by a con-man priest to lead a band of thieves, known as the Gentlemen Bastards, who pull off one elaborate scam after another, living above the law until a dark and violent competitor threatens everything Locke has gained. Lynch’s writing is fast-paced and witty, and readers will be drawn into the action from page one.
A young boy is born, the bastard son of a prince, growing up in the shadow of his legitimate family at the king’s court. Raised by the reticent keeper of hounds and mentored by an assassin, young Fitz learns he has a larger-than-expected role to play in the fate of the kingdom. The setting is engaging and vibrant, the characters jump off the page and pull the reader in, and the plot moves at breakneck speed.
The Union is threatened by the incursions of the self-styled King of the North and the sadistic Emperor to the South. A barbarian with a violent past, an arrogant, spoiled nobleman, a twisted torture victim turned inquisitor par excellence, and a vengeful former slave find themselves in the thick of it, while an old, cantankerous wizard hides big plans for them all. The Blade Itself is dark and plain old hilarious at times, each POV dripping with personality.
T.H. White’s fanciful retelling of the beloved Arthurian legend is full of humor and wit, following the life of England’s most famous knight, from his childhood adventures fighting alongside Robin “Wood” to being transmogrified into fish and fowl to his coming-of-age finding of Excalibur and ascension to Knight of the Round table and king of all the land. At times tragic, undoubtedly epic, and always funny, The Once and Future King belongs on any fantasy lover’s bookshelf.
A rat named Cluny and his army of vermin lay siege to the walls of Redwall Abbey, a peaceful monastery populated by talking mice. A young hero Mattheus fights to defend the abbey, befriending a warlike clan of sparrows and battling an evil serpent along the way. Each Redwall installment features a battle between benevolent woodland creatures fighting evil “vermin” in a formulaic yet comforting series that spans hundreds of years, jumping forward and backward through time.
The Malazan Empire, a militaristic, expansionary society, is in the midst of a 100-year campaign to conquer the world. A company of soldiers fighting for the empire known as the Bridgeburners attempt to infiltrate the last remaining Free City and undermine it from within. However, as the Empress grows more and more tyrannical, the Bridgeburners are forced to reconsider their true loyalties. Gardens of the Moon is a complex and interesting novel packed with magic, gods, assassins, and war.
The old gods are living beings who walk the Earth and draw power from those who worship them, increasingly finding themselves endangered as the world turns toward newer gods like Technology, Media, and Conspiracy Theories. Shadow gets out of jail early when his wife is killed in a car accident, setting off on a road trip with his mysterious new employer, Mr. Wednesday. American Gods is packed with Americana and fascinating tidbits of lore alongside ample humor and wit.
In an alternative England during the early 19th century, true magic once existed but now belongs to scholars who cannot practice it. Two magicians reveal themselves and attempt to restore magic to its rightful place. The relationship between Jonathan Strange and his tutor, Mr. Norell, degrades as rivaling techniques to pursue a common goal drives a wedge between them. A dense yet playful take on the supernatural that channels authors like Charles Dickens and Jane Austen with expertise and flair.
New Crobuzon is a decrepit and sprawling city where races of humanoid creatures coexist uneasily together. When a human scientist named Isaac takes on the task of healing a bird-man’s wings, he accidentally unleashes a monster loose on the city. Meanwhile, his insectile girlfriend, Lin, entangles herself with a powerful mob boss who drags the couple into an underworld of crime and corruption. Perdido Street Station is a perversely unique Victorian steampunk blend of horror, fantasy, and science fiction.
A delightful world of wizards and witches exists just below the surface. Evil Lord Voldemort has returned to threaten all that is good. Harry Potter, a young orphan, abused by his adopted family, discovers that he has magical powers and embarks on a wonderful journey of self-discovery and adventure with his best friends Ron and Hermoine. The real magic of Rowling’s creation is the setting, a highly immersive, quirky, and inviting world that exists within our own.
In 18th-century England, magic is dwindling, and the government has no idea why. Former slave Zacharias Wythe controversially inherits the title of Sorcerer Royal when his adopted father mysteriously dies. A young female magician named Prunella Gentlemen becomes his trainee in a land where use of magic is forbidden to females. Zen Cho incorporates heavy doses of farce and wit into a story about outsiders struggling to survive in a place that hates them with a unique and magical twist.
Earthsea is a vibrant island chain home to wizards and dragons. Ged, a young sorcerer with great potential, must conquer his own arrogance in order to become the man he is destined to be. Joining a wizarding school, Ged unleashes a shadow during a duel with a rival student and must stop it before it kills him. A satisfying and enchanting tale about a young person maturing and accepting who they are in a magical setting.
In an unnamed African country of the far future, two tribes battle each other with bitter enmity. A woman is raped by an evil sorcerer and becomes an outcast, pregnant with the fruit of the violent coupling, Onyesonwu, who grows up knowing little about her past until she discovers the magic growing within her and a powerful force that is trying to kill her—her own birth father. A fantastic combination of mysticism and realism in a post-apocalyptic setting.
In a society based around the symbiosis of dragon and man, an evil force threatens the world and only the Dragon Riders can stop it. Lessa’s family is brutally murdered, and she is forced to serve the killer as a scullery maid. Her life changes when a group of Dragon Riders discover her hidden power and identify her as capable of mastering the new Dragon Queen. Dragonflight takes the standard fantasy trope of dragons and breathes fire into it.
Unicorns have mysteriously disappeared, and the world of men is poorer for it. The last living unicorn leaves the safety of her forest to find out where they went. Accompanied by a former outlaw and a failed magician, the Last Unicorn journeys to an evil king’s castle to launch a daring rescue mission. The Last Unicorn is beautiful piece of writing that neither takes itself too seriously nor shies away from sentimentality.
In an alternative universe where the religious Magisterium dominates the world and each human’s soul exists outside of their body as an animal (called a daemon), a secret child-stealing society threatens the young. Lyra is an orphan and ward of Jordan College. When her friend Roger is stolen, she journeys to the North with a band of traveling folk to rescue him. An entertaining and thoughtful YA novel that is engaging and mature enough for adults to enjoy.
A world of talking lions and evil witches accessible by passing through an old wardrobe needs the help of a group of young children. Told over the span of generations, time passes differently in Narnia than the real world, as a year in England can equate to thousands of years in its mythological counterpart. More than 70 years after the publication of its first installment, The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe is as enthralling as ever.