“The mother rises from the ashes, but she is not alone. She brought back the dead with her. Now she will rule the world.” This is fantasy. It allows you to drift from the regular world to another dimension, where you will be able to create your own world all by your imagination. Human has always dreamt. They dreamt of what they couldn’t achieve in the real world. From magic to rising from death, people have fantasized themselves from the very beginning of our celestial existence.
If we walkway down the memory lane, you will be able to see traces of fantasy and its imaginary world in artifacts of ancient centuries. All the mystical sayings, myths, and other imaginary crafts and dimensions are prime examples of this genre.
But today, we are not here to debate about what the genre really stands for. The main reason for today’s article is to find the best books based upon this particular genre. So, kick back and relax. After reading this article and the mentioned books, you never know you might want to write a new universe, which is the next big thing to feature in the lists!
List of Top 15 Fantasy Books of All Time
- A Game of Thrones by George R. R. Martin
- The Fellowship of the Ring by J. R. R. Tolkien
- The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe by C. S. Lewis
- Dragonflight by Anne McCaffrey
- The Name of the Wind by Patrick Rothfuss
- The Blade Itself by Joe Abercrombie
- The Way of Kings by Brandon Sanderson
- The Colour of Magic by Terry Pratchett
- The Lies of Locke Lamora by Scott Lynch
- The Eye of the World by Robert Jordan
- Gardens of the Moon by Steven Erikson
- The Gunslinger by Stephen King
- The Golden Compass by Philip Pullman
- Eragon by Christopher Paolini
- Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone by J. K. Rowling
These are some of the biggest names in the amazing world of fantasy. We will be very lucky to bring this to you guys. So, without further ado, let us jump into the magical world of fantasy.
A Game of Thrones by George R. R. Martin
Perhaps the biggest name in the fantasy world is the epic world of the thrones. A Game of Thrones enlightens us with the magical and mystical world of lords and ladies, true borns and bustards, and above all magic and dragons. This epic storytelling by George R. R. Martin is one of a kind and has been accredited and celebrated by the whole world. A Game of Thrones is a treat to the readers who are into intense plot making and fantasy. So, if you have not already read this, then I am sorry, my friend, you are a long way out of the magical world of fantasy. The plot and the characters are so strong that HBO made a whole Television Series out of it. ‘The Game of Thrones’ is considered as one of the most successful series of all time and is arguable the greatest TV series of the decade. I strongly recommend everyone to read this and enjoy the strong and mystical characters and plots.
The Fellowship of the Ring by J. R. R. Tolkien
The story started at the beginning of the celestial existence. The Dark Lord enchanted all his powers into a single ring. After he was gone, decades later, the ring came into possession of Bilbo Baggins. After he departed from nature, the ring was herniated to one of his cousin, Frodo. Thus the story elevates into mystical plots and the quest aggregated to destroy the ring itself. The narrating power and the capability to capture the audience is one of the unique specialties of Tolkien. Thus this book has made a huge name in the world of fantasy. Quick and smooth shifting of plots and strong characters make this book a sheer favorite if the fantasy readers.
The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe by C. S. Lewis
The Chronicles of Narnia is my personal favorite. I still do remember young me sitting beside the fire with my granddad, who used to read me out the epic book. My love for fantasy began from this very book. Thus this book maintains a great deal of respect and lovely memories of my granddad who has been the admirer of all my deeds and me.
For siblings were shifted to a house to keep themselves safe from the wrath of war where they found out a magical cupboard which leads to a world of magical beasts and a witch. The world was led by a lion king, Aslan. The children and the lion king fought together to defeat the witch who wants to take away all the happiness from the world.
The amount of emotion and the intensity in the plot is really very tempting that the readers are bound to fall for this story. The Chronicles of Narnia are one of the most selling fantasy series of all time, and as you can see, they have a solid reason for it. I do recommend all my readers to explore the magical world of Narnia. I bet you guys will love it.
Dragonflight by Anne McCaffrey
The story is about a regular kitchen girl redeeming her birthright to save the whole world. This epic thriller and fantasy will surely be a great pleasure for the readers who are into reading thrillers. To add the mystical flavor, the Dragon mother is also introduced in the storyline.
Together, the character and the dragon mother is on the quest to save the earth. But what will they lose or what will they gain, you will have to find it out yourself by reading the book. I personally enjoyed the book and the main shades of the characters.
I also recommend this book as an example of hope, equality, and prosperity. So, please do read this book as it has made up to my favorite list.
The Name of the Wind by Patrick Rothfuss
This book is yet another thriller and adventure in the magical world of fantasy. The story is about a boy who gets the chance to be a wizard and graduate from the school of magic. But he turns into a notorious one. The storyline evolves into a series of intense action and plot changing situations.
I strongly recommend this one for people who are into adventure and action at the same time. The main factor of the plot is the amazing transitions in the world of wizards and magic. What better way to enjoy the thrill in fantasy?!
Now let us move on to the next book, which is the ‘The Blade Itself’ by Joe Abercrombie.
The Blade Itself by Joe Abercrombie
This particular book inherits perhaps the most unlikely characters in the fantasy world. The shades of the characters are very contrasting, yet managed to pull off a stunner in the plot making. The hero, who is afraid to fight, the cripple who tortures but has a pure heart, a barbarian who has a philosophy against killing and a wizard. The plot is very strong and has all the ingredients to pull off a wonderful and magical world of fantasy.
Joe Abercrombie has the specialty to blend in contrasting and opposite shades into one character. That does not mean the character becomes confusing. They are indeed strong characters bound to be the heroes of the plots, and the readers will find a great deal of amusement and thrill in the story. That is why I have recommended this book to the favorite list of mine in the fantasy world.
The Way of Kings by Brandon Sanderson
This very book introduces us to another diverse yet wonderful world of mystical adventures. Where ordinary men turn into invincible warriors by wearing magical armors and mystical swords. The kings trade their kingdoms for mystical Shard blades. This intense plotting and the strong characters make this storyline a great one indeed.
That is why this is considered one of the best stories in the world of fantasy. I strongly recommend people who are into wars and warriors in the respective genre.
The Colour of Magic by Terry Pratchett
Have you ever wondered about the characters who flash in shining light in the fantasy world? Have you not think of them having some problems and anxieties? What will be the ideal job for the trolls in the city? There are tons of questions like these in our minds. And all of them are answered in a great manner by Terry in his book The Color of Magic.
This is an unusual way of thinking in the mystical world, but it is the beauty of fantasy. You can imagine a whole new adventurous universe for yourself. Please do read this book at least once in a lifetime.
The Lies of Locke Lamora by Scott Lynch
If you are a fan of Robin Hood and Ocean’s eleven, then you would probably love this fiction and fantasy. The world here is full of criminals and nobles. Locke is one decent guy who eventually falls in the trickery of a con artist named Chains. He avoided slavery, death, and more just to fall into the trickery if the can artist.
You might think that I have already spelled out the spoilers. But you are wrong, my friend. You have to read the whole storyline to judge what is wrong or what is right. So, I strongly suggest you read the book. I bet you will not regret it.
The Eye of the World by Robert Jordan
This book was the No. 1 New York Times bestselling book. From that, you can clearly see the potential of the book itself. The plot states the age of proficiency when the world and time are in parallel form. The balance of time will be the determiner of the flowing events. The flow of time will be the main aspect of the plot and the characters.
This book is a good one when it comes to the world of fantasy. So, having said that, the book is recommended to all the keen readers who are into some adventures and the fanatic universe.
Gardens of the Moon by Steven Erikson
This novel is about the Malazan Empire, which is ruled by a cruel empress. She wants to restrain her legacy with the help of her cruel assassins. This story has some plot shifts, which are full of numerous wars and bloodsheds. This is proven to be very overwhelming for everyone who has thought of fighting back against the cruel queen.
This may result in various wars. The final chapter will be the involvement of the Gods themselves in order to defeat the cruelty and bring harmony. This is yet another must-read from the list.
The Gunslinger by Stephen King
Stephen King is one of the most celebrated authors in the fantasy world. His thrillers are very promising and eye-catching for his readers. People can visualize certain motions through the wonderful descriptive method of Mr. King.
The Gunslinger is yet another wonderful creation of Stephen King. This story is about the last Gunslinger, who is on a quest to find the Man in Black. It is said that the Man in Black can bring back the dead into life. In his quest to chase the forbidden, the last Gunslinger faces many troubles and has been on a long journey in an unknown universe.
This book is a treat for anyone who is into quest and fantasy. I have read the book, and I simply love it. The intensity of the character is at the next level.
The Golden Compass by Philip Pullman
The story is about the far north where the clan of witches and the warrior bear rules. In this diverse situation, one girl is set to change the world to a better place, parallel for every. Join the quest of Laura, where she takes on the danger on her tiny shoulders amidst this chaos. This story is all set to be one of the most heart touchings yet thrilling fantasies of all time. I do recommend this to you guys.
Eragon by Christopher Paolini
This is yet another thrilling encounter of magic and fantasy. Eragon, a dragon who is fledged to navigate the treacherous trains and the vast to the safety amidst all the misdoings of the king’s evil nature. Can Eragon defeat all odds and save the empire from the harms and defeats. Only time will tell as we progress more into the story.
The mystical worlds of dragons, magic, and sorcery are proven to be the most favorite subgenre of fantasy. This book is a shining example of this. Now we will be moving on to the last but not the least book of my list. I saved the best for the last.
Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone by J. K. Rowling
At first, publishers were not accepting Rowling and her fancy stories of wizards and some wizarding kids who would be saving the world themselves. But when she managed to publish it, the whole reading community went nuts.
This is arguably one of the best fantasy series of all time in the world. The amount of success that the Harry Potter series got is still beyond imagination. This book is about a miserable young kid whose wizard parents were killed by a bad wizard. But the kid did not know anything until he was of age and was sent to the Hogwarts, the wizard school for the English. But things rather took a wild turn when the bad wizard, Voldemort returned and tried to kill harry. He tried to kill him when he was very little, but could not kill. This quest to get the sorcerer’s stone leads to various turns of events and the change of plots is really smooth.
The characters of this book are iconic, and later there is a series of films that were made with the script of J. K. Rowling. This book is a must-read book for anyone who is into fantasy.
Pulling Down the Curtains
I hope this will be a great treat to the fantasy lovers of the world, and they will love it from every wing. So, why are you waiting for?! Go and grab a book right now and read the hell out of it. You never know you might get influenced to write your own story. You never know, things might get smooth, you might pull some accurate notes. Life is short, and your mind ends up being the next fantasy maestro. So, love to read books and enhance your imaginations!
That was all for today. I hope you guys have liked the article. Please share your thoughts in the comment sections real quick. Let us know what we missed in the list!
