Fantasy Book Recommendations: 11 Best Of All Time
The best fantasy book recommendations based on what you like to read!
The fantasy book genre covers a vast array of categories, from young adult fantasy to magical realism to epic high fantasy series. While fantasy is still a less popular genre overall, some of these books have broken through into popular culture.
I adore these books just as much as other readers, but I know now that the epic fantasy books are just as worthy of our attention. My fantasy book recommendations will help show you the way!
To give you a bit of background, it’s helpful to start with a definition of high fantasy versus low fantasy. High fantasy novels are set in an alternate, fictional world while low fantasy is set in our real world with added fictional/magical elements.
For example, Game of Thrones takes place in a completely made up kingdom. Whereas, Harry Potter exists within the world we know. High fantasy also often has a large cast of characters, non-human races and creatures, and multi-volume series.
Admittedly, I hesitated before exploring these, somewhat intimidating, options. My husband initially spent a long time convincing me to read The Name of the Wind. It wasn’t until he compared it loosely to Harry Potter that I even considered giving it a shot.
Now, the two books in the series are all-time favorites and I’ve reread them twice. It is overwhelming trying to find the best fantasy books, so our fantasy book recommendations are categorized based on the types of books you read now.
I don’t want to downplay the excellence or appeal of other types of fantasy books. If you’re looking for something a bit lighter, you can see my list of the best YA Fantasy books.
In this post you’ll find the books that truly define the high fantasy genre. These fantasy book recommendations are similar to the more familiar Game of Thrones series in terms of world-building, complexity, magic, creatures, and sheer volume of content. This list will help you decide which fantasy book or series is right for you based on what you normally read.
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Best Fantasy Book Recommendations
If you like plot twists, unexpected endings, and cunning characters, read…
The Lies of Locke Lamora (Gentlemen Bastards #1)
From Goodreads “An orphan’s life is harsh—and often short—in the mysterious island city of Camorr. But young Locke Lamora dodges death and slavery, becoming a thief under the tutelage of a gifted con artist. As leader of the band of light-fingered brothers known as the Gentleman Bastards, Locke is soon infamous, fooling even the underworld’s most feared ruler. But in the shadows lurks someone still more ambitious and deadly. Faced with a bloody coup that threatens to destroy everyone and everything that holds meaning in his mercenary life, Locke vows to beat the enemy at his own brutal game—or die trying.”
If you like Harry Potter, an underdog, and a school setting, read…
The Name of the Wind (Kingkiller Chronicles #1)
From Goodreads “Told in Kvothe’s own voice, this is the tale of the magically gifted young man who grows to be the most notorious wizard his world has ever seen. The intimate narrative of his childhood in a troupe of traveling players, his years spent as a near-feral orphan in a crime-ridden city, his daringly brazen yet successful bid to enter a legendary school of magic, and his life as a fugitive after the murder of a king form a gripping coming-of-age story unrivaled in recent literature.
A high-action story written with a poet’s hand, The Name of the Wind is a masterpiece that will transport readers into the body and mind of a wizard. This is my personal favorite of all the fantasy book recommendations!
If you like strong female leads, read…
From Goodreads “In a world where ash falls from the sky, and mist dominates the night, an evil cloaks the land and stifles all life. The future of the empire rests on the shoulders of a troublemaker and his young apprentice. Together, can they fill the world with color once more? In Brandon Sanderson’s intriguing tale of love, loss, despair and hope, a new kind of magic enters the stage — Allomancy, a magic of the metals.”
If you like fast-paced thrillers featuring one central character, read…
Senlin Ascends (Books of Babel #1)
From Goodreads “The Tower of Babel is the greatest marvel in the world. Immense as a mountain, the ancient Tower holds unnumbered ringdoms, warring and peaceful, stacked one on the other like the layers of a cake. It is a world of geniuses and tyrants, of airships and steam engines, of unusual animals and mysterious machines. Soon after arriving for his honeymoon at the Tower, the mild-mannered headmaster of a small village school, Thomas Senlin, gets separated from his wife, Marya, in the overwhelming swarm of tourists, residents, and miscreants.
Senlin is determined to find Marya, but to do so he’ll have to navigate madhouses, ballrooms, and burlesque theaters. He must survive betrayal, assassination, and the long guns of a flying fortress. But if he hopes to find his wife, he will have to do more than just endure. This quiet man of letters must become a man of action.”
If you want a more complicated A Court of Thorns and Roses series with a larger cast and greater world-building, read…
Gardens of the Moon (Malazan Book of the Fallen #1)
From Goodreads “The Malazan Empire simmers with discontent, bled dry by interminable warfare, bitter infighting and bloody confrontations with the formidable Anomander Rake and his Tiste Andii, ancient and implacable sorcerers. Even the imperial legions, long inured to the bloodshed, yearn for some respite. Yet Empress Laseen’s rule remains absolute, enforced by her dread Claw assassins.
For Sergeant Whiskeyjack and his squad of Bridgeburners, and for Tattersail, surviving cadre mage of the Second Legion, the aftermath of the siege of Pale should have been a time to mourn the many dead. But Darujhistan, last of the Free Cities of Genabackis, yet holds out. It is to this ancient citadel that Laseen turns her predatory gaze. However, it would appear that the Empire is not alone in this great game. Sinister, shadowbound forces are gathering as the gods themselves prepare to play their hand…”
If you want a lengthy series that’s still being written, so you can read new books as they come out, read…
The Way of Kings (The Stormlight Archives #1)
From Goodreads “It has been centuries since the fall of the ten consecrated orders known as the Knights Radiant, but their Shardblades and Shardplate remain: mystical swords and suits of armor that transform ordinary men into near-invincible warriors. Men trade kingdoms for Shardblades. Wars were fought for them, and won by them. One such war rages on a ruined landscape called the Shattered Plains.
There, Kaladin, who traded his medical apprenticeship for a spear to protect his little brother, has been reduced to slavery. In a war that makes no sense, where ten armies fight separately against a single foe, he struggles to save his men and to fathom the leaders who consider them expendable. Brightlord Dalinar Kholin commands one of those other armies. Like his brother, the late king, he is fascinated by an ancient text called The Way of Kings. Troubled by over-powering visions of ancient times and the Knights Radiant, he has begun to doubt his own sanity.
Across the ocean, an untried young woman named Shallan seeks to train under an eminent scholar and notorious heretic, Dalinar’s niece, Jasnah. Though she genuinely loves learning, Shallan’s motives are less than pure. As she plans a daring theft, her research for Jasnah hints at secrets of the Knights Radiant and the true cause of the war.”
You’ll find Brandon Sanderson on any list of fantasy book recommendations for good reason!
If you like a strong band of characters and slightly darker tones, read…
The Blade Itself (First Law Trilogy #1)
Logen Ninefingers, infamous barbarian, has finally run out of luck. Caught in one feud too many, he’s on the verge of becoming a dead barbarian. Nobleman Captain Jezal dan Luthar, dashing officer, and paragon of selfishness, has nothing more dangerous in mind than fleecing his friends at cards and dreaming of glory in the fencing circle. But war is brewing, and on the battlefields of the frozen North they fight by altogether bloodier rules. Inquisitor Glokta, cripple turned torturer, would like nothing better than to see Jezal come home in a box. But then Glokta hates everyone: cutting treason out of the Union one confession at a time leaves little room for friendship.
His latest trail of corpses may lead him right to the rotten heart of government, if he can stay alive long enough to follow it. Enter the wizard, Bayaz. A bald old man with a terrible temper and a pathetic assistant, he could be the First of the Magi, he could be a spectacular fraud, but whatever he is, he’s about to make the lives of Logen, Jezal, and Glokta a whole lot more difficult. Murderous conspiracies rise to the surface, old scores are ready to be settled, and the line between hero and villain is sharp enough to draw blood.
If you want a fantasy series with a bit of the real world, characters on a mission, and a whole lot of Stephen King weirdness, read…
The Gunslinger (The Dark Tower Series #1)
From Goodreads “In the first book of this brilliant series, Stephen King introduces readers to one of his most enigmatic heroes, Roland of Gilead, The Last Gunslinger. He is a haunting figure, a loner on a spellbinding journey into good and evil. In his desolate world, which frighteningly mirrors our own, Roland pursues The Man in Black, encounters an alluring woman named Alice, and begins a friendship with the Kid from Earth called Jake. Both grippingly realistic and eerily dreamlike, The Gunslinger leaves readers eagerly awaiting the next chapter.”
Stephen King is known for his intricate storytelling and The Dark Tower series is no exception. Although this wasn’t my favorite book, there are plenty of others who adore the series and would add it to any list of fantasy book recommendations.
If you want a classic quest tale that’s stood the test of time, read…
The Fellowship of the Ring (Lord of the Rings Trilogy #1)
From Goodreads “One Ring to rule them all, One Ring to find them, One Ring to bring them all and in the darkeness bind them. In ancient times the Rings of Power were crafted by the Elven-smiths, and Sauron, The Dark Lord, forged the One Ring, filling it with his own power so that he could rule all others. But the One Ring was taken from him, and though he sought it throughout Middle-earth, it remained lost to him. After many ages it fell into the hands of Bilbo Baggins, as told in The Hobbit.
In a sleepy village in the Shire, young Frodo Baggins finds himself faced with an immense task, as his elderly cousin Bilbo entrusts the Ring to his care. Frodo must leave his home and make a perilous journey across Middle-earth to the Cracks of Doom, there to destroy the Ring and foil the Dark Lord in his evil purpose.” Another one of my favorite fantasy book recommendations!
If you like historical fiction and a woman’s take on historical events (particularly the era of King Arthur and the Knights of the Round Table), read…
From Amazon “In Marion Zimmer Bradley’s masterpiece, we see the tumult and adventures of Camelot’s court through the eyes of the women who bolstered the king’s rise and schemed for his fall. From their childhoods through the ultimate fulfillment of their destinies, we follow these women and the diverse cast of characters that surrounds them as the great Arthurian epic unfolds stunningly before us.
As Morgaine and Gwenhwyfar struggle for control over the fate of Arthur’s kingdom, as the Knights of the Round Table take on their infamous quest, as Merlin and Viviane wield their magics for the future of Old Britain, the Isle of Avalon slips further into the impenetrable mists of memory, until the fissure between old and new worlds’ and old and new religions’ claims its most famous victim.”
This is one of my fantasy book recommendations that I love recommending to female readers!
If you want The Three Musketeers with a dash of comedy, read…
Traitor’s Blade (The Greatcoats Series #1)
From Goodreads “Falcio is the first Cantor of the Greatcoats. Trained in the fighting arts and the laws of Tristia, the Greatcoats are travelling Magisters upholding King’s Law. They are heroes. Or at least they were, until they stood aside while the Dukes took the kingdom, and impaled their King’s head on a spike. Now Tristia is on the verge of collapse and the barbarians are sniffing at the borders.
The Dukes bring chaos to the land, while the Greatcoats are scattered far and wide, reviled as traitors, their legendary coats in tatters. All they have left are the promises they made to King Paelis, to carry out one final mission. But if they have any hope of fulfilling the King’s dream, the divided Greatcoats must reunite, or they will also have to stand aside as they watch their world burn…”
What are your best fantasy book recommendations? If you’re new to fantasy, do any of these fantasy book recommendations stand out to you?
