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From J.R.R. Tolkien to George R.R. Martin, here are 100 mind-blowing fantasy series to help you escape reality.
- Reedsy
- Rachel Strolle
- The Green Bone Saga by Fonda Lee. Series starter: Jade City. What you’re in for: A war between rival gangster families. Jade City hit shelves in 2017, kicking off a must-read fantasy book series and nabbing a World Fantasy Award in the process.
- The Poppy War by R.F. Kuang. Series starter: The Poppy War. What you’re in for: Crushing choices in battle, forbidden magic and a descent into villainy. This remarkable trilogy, which began in 2018, finds inspiration in the Second-Sino Japanese War, the Chinese Civil War and the rise of Mao Zedong.
- Earthsea Cycle by Ursula K. Le Guin. Series starter: A Wizard of Earthsea. What you’re in for: Character-driven fantasy. Ursula K. Le Guin is widely regarded as a pillar in science fiction and fantasy, and if you’ve never read one of her books, 1968’s A Wizard of Earthsea is a good place to start.
- Lord of the Rings by J.R.R. Tolkien. Series starter: The Fellowship of the Ring. What you’re in for: Road trip shenanigans and expansive world. It’s hard to imagine a time without Lord of the Rings, but before 1954, the world had never heard of hobbits, Mordor or the One Ring to rule them all.
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With a panel of leading fantasy authors, TIME presents the 100 most engaging, inventive and influential works of fantasy fiction.
- The Black Company by Glen Cook. First Book in the Series: The Black Company (1984) Description: Good fantasy tales rely on world building, and Glen Cook’s Black Company series has this in spades.
- The Broken Empire Trilogy by Mark Lawrence. First Book in the Series: Prince of Thorns (2011) Description: Mark Lawrence’s Broken Empire Trilogy wraps a war epic around a family drama within a coming-of-age story, creating a multi-layered fantasy series steeped in dark magic.
- The Chronicles of Narnia by C.S. Lewis. First Book in the Series: The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe (1950) Description: C.S. Lewis’ kindhearted Narnia series sometimes feels like the yang to Tolkien’s serious and moody yin, which makes sense, given that the two Inklings were close friends for decades.
- The Chronicles of Prydain by Lloyd Alexander. First Book in the Series: The Book of Three (1964) Description: In an age when any successful tween series is hyped as a potential film franchise, Lloyd Alexander’s pentalogy has managed to stay out of the limelight (Disney’s unfortunate 1985 film The Black Cauldron notwithstanding).
- Rajat Mehta
- Harry Potter. Logline: A young wizard battles the dark lord Voldemort while discovering his own destiny. Author Name: J.K. Rowling. First Book Published: “Harry Potter and the Philosopher’s Stone” (1997)
- The Lord of the Rings. Logline: A hobbit’s quest to destroy a powerful ring and defeat the Dark Lord Sauron. Author Name: J.R.R. Tolkien. First Book Published: “The Fellowship of the Ring” (1954)
- A Song of Ice and Fire. Logline: Noble houses vie for the Iron Throne in a brutal, intricate game of power. Author Name: George R.R. Martin. First Book Published: “A Game of Thrones” (1996)
- The Wheel of Time. Logline: A destined savior and his allies confront the Dark One in an epic battle of fate. Author Name: Robert Jordan (and later Brandon Sanderson)
Apr 30, 2021 · Need a good fantasy series to dive into? Check out these 25 series, including 'Game of Thrones,' 'Outlander,' and plenty of others.
Oct 28, 2021 · Considered one of the best fantasy books ever written, The Last Unicorn is a magical story about a unicorn living in a forest. One day, hunters arrive in the forest and believe it must...
