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Fantasy is the oldest kind of storytelling and the most limitless. Give a reader a map, a magic system and a quest, and you give them a whole world to live inside - one they will return to across a thousand pages and a dozen sequels.
From the shires of Middle-earth to the scheming courts of Westeros, fantasy asks 'what if?' on the grandest possible scale, and rewards the reader who commits with the deepest immersion in all of fiction.
These are our editors' picks of the worlds most worth getting lost in - novels spanning the genre, from the books that built it to the boundary-breakers writing today, curated on merit and never ranked by an algorithm.
The short answer
- The one to start with
- The Hobbit by J.R.R. Tolkien — the doorway to the whole genre
- Best epic series
- A Game of Thrones by George R.R. Martin — politics, families and a huge cast
- Best standalone
- Jonathan Strange & Mr Norrell by Susanna Clarke — English magic, told like a lost classic
What makes a great fantasy novel?
A world real enough to get lost in, a magic system with rules worth learning, and a quest that genuinely matters. The genre is vast - epic or grimdark, high fantasy or sword-and-sorcery, a farmboy hero or a morally grey assassin - so we've ranged from Tolkien, who invented the modern template, to the writers redrawing the map today.
Most are the opening of a series you can disappear into for months; all build a world you'll be sorry to leave.
Our pick of the best fantasy books
The Lord of the Rings by J.R.R. Tolkien
The book that built the genre: a quest to destroy a ring of power across a world of breathtaking depth. The benchmark every fantasy novel is still measured against.The Hobbit by J.R.R. Tolkien
The doorway to Middle-earth: one reluctant hobbit, thirteen dwarves and a dragon's hoard - the perfect place to begin.“An absolute classic of children’s literature, the great adventure of Bilbo Baggins and the Dwarfs”Our review, by Sarah Broadhurst
Reviewed by Sarah BroadhurstA Game of Thrones by George R.R. Martin
Noble houses scheme for a throne while an ancient threat gathers in the north; sprawling, ruthless and utterly addictive epic fantasy.The Name of the Wind by Patrick Rothfuss
A gifted, haunted young man tells the story of how he became a legend; gorgeous prose and the most beloved fantasy of its generation.Mistborn: The Final Empire by Brandon Sanderson
A street thief joins a heist to topple a god-emperor in a world where swallowed metals grant power; the master of the airtight magic system at his best.Assassin's Apprentice by Robin Hobb
A royal bastard is trained in secret as an assassin; intimate, emotionally devastating character-driven fantasy that readers adore.The Fifth Season by N.K. Jemisin
A mother searches for her daughter as the world literally cracks apart; a dazzling, furious, genre-redefining epic that won three Hugos in a row.The Colour of Magic by Terry Pratchett
The first Discworld novel: a hopeless wizard, a naive tourist and a riot of wit. The funniest fantasy ever written, and the start of forty more.A Wizard of Earthsea by Ursula K. Le Guin
A young wizard's pride looses a shadow he must hunt across the sea; spare, wise and quietly profound - fantasy as literature.The Way of Kings by Brandon Sanderson
War, storms and ancient magic on a world of stone and spren - the colossal opening of the most ambitious epic in modern fantasy.The Lies of Locke Lamora by Scott Lynch
A gang of con artists pull an audacious heist in a Venice-like city of glass and knives - witty, twisty and enormous fun.The Blade Itself by Joe Abercrombie
A barbarian, a crippled torturer and a vain swordsman collide in grimdark's sharpest, blackest-humoured series-opener.The Priory of the Orange Tree by Samantha Shannon
Queens, dragons and divided faiths in a vast standalone epic - feminist, sweeping and complete in one volume.The Eye of the World by Robert Jordan
Three villagers flee into a world of prophecy and gathering darkness - the start of the era-defining Wheel of Time.Jonathan Strange & Mr Norrell by Susanna Clarke
Two rival magicians revive English magic in an alternate Napoleonic age - wry, footnoted and utterly singular.“A very special book indeed, magical in all its senses, which won the Hugo Award and the World Fantasy Award for best book”Our review, by Sarah Broadhurst
Reviewed by Sarah BroadhurstThe Poppy War by R.F. Kuang
A war orphan's rise through a brutal military academy turns to fire and vengeance - fierce, grim and unforgettable.A Court of Thorns and Roses by Sarah J. Maas
A huntress is taken into a dangerous faerie court - the romantasy phenomenon that brought millions of new readers to the genre.“Pure and completely engaging escapism in the form of high fantasy”Our review, by Liz Robinson
Reviewed by Liz RobinsonThe Bear and the Nightingale by Katherine Arden
Old gods, deep snow and a fearless girl in medieval Russia - a wintry fairy tale spun into something richer.Good Omens by Terry Pratchett & Neil Gaiman
An angel and a demon team up to stop the apocalypse they've both grown rather fond of - gloriously, quotably funny.
Fantasy subgenres, quickly explained
Not sure which corner of the genre is for you? Here's the quick map:
- Epic / high fantasy - secondary worlds, grand quests and deep history (The Lord of the Rings, The Way of Kings).
- Grimdark - the same scale stripped of comfort: morally grey characters and real consequences (The Blade Itself, A Game of Thrones).
- Sword and sorcery - smaller, faster adventures driven by rogues and heists (The Lies of Locke Lamora).
- Romantasy - fantasy with romance at its heart, the genre's fastest-growing strand (A Court of Thorns and Roses).
- Comic fantasy - worlds built for wit and satire (the Discworld of The Colour of Magic, and Good Omens).
Who chose these books, and why that matters
This is not a list pulled from a bestseller chart. Every title here was read and chosen by the LoveReading editorial panel, and we turn far more books down than we put forward.
The panel includes a judge of the Crime Writers’ Association Gold Dagger; a past Chair of the CILIP Carnegie and Kate Greenaway Medals; a former children’s editor of the Guardian, who is also Children’s Director of the Hay Festival; a Managing Director of the Hay Festival of twenty years; the founder of the Murder One bookshop, who has reviewed for the Guardian, The Times and the Daily Telegraph; and two UK School Librarians of the Year.
Each is named, with a photograph and full biography, on our editorial experts page.
Members of the panel include:
Liz RobinsonLoveReading reviewer since 2014 and former judge of the CWA Gold Dagger
Joanne OwenAuthor, publishing expert, and LoveReading’s Literary Fiction Champion and YA Lead Reviewer
Lois CudjoeBook critic, content creator and passionate cross-genre reader
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Julie VuongPublishing journalist, BookBrunch feature writer and Mslexia columnist
Their judgements are informed by our Reader Review Panel — several hundred readers across our adult and children’s sites who read titles before publication and tell us plainly whether a book delivers.
LoveReading has been recommending books since 2004 and has reviewed more than 33,000 titles in that time. We review for schools, for publishers and for readers, and we are a winner of the Small Business x Sage pop-up shop competition on London’s Oxford Street.
Every physical book bought through us donates 25% of the cover price to a school of your choice — more than £100,000 in books so far.
Find your next world
Fantasy readers commit - fall for one world and you've found years of reading. The best way to choose your next is to follow what you loved: the scale of the epic, the cleverness of the magic, or the company of the characters. Browse our fantasy reviews and editors' picks to keep the quests coming.
Your questions answered
What's the difference between fantasy and science fiction?
Fantasy is powered by magic and the impossible - invented worlds, mythical creatures, ancient prophecy. Science fiction is powered by the possible-in-principle - technology, science and the future. There's a grey zone between them, but as a rule of thumb: dragons and wizards are fantasy; spaceships and robots are science fiction.
Are these fantasy recommendations chosen by an algorithm?
No. A convincing world, a magic system with real rules and a quest that earns its length are things only a reader can judge - and our editors and 800-strong Reader Review Panel judge them on merit, not sales rank. These are the worlds our reviewers couldn't bear to leave, chosen by people rather than a chart.
Where should I start with fantasy?
For the foundation, begin with Tolkien's The Lord of the Rings. For a modern series to binge, try Mistborn or The Name of the Wind. For something funny, start Discworld with The Colour of Magic; for fantasy that reads like literature, A Wizard of Earthsea and The Fifth Season are the genre at its richest.
Are these fantasy books all part of long series?
Many are - Mistborn, A Game of Thrones and The Name of the Wind open epics you can disappear into for months. But several work beautifully on their own: A Wizard of Earthsea and The Fifth Season each stand complete, even though more follows if you want it. The Colour of Magic launches Discworld, which you can read in almost any order.
What's the best fantasy book for someone who doesn't usually read fantasy?
Start with a self-contained story rather than a ten-book epic. Good Omens is funny and needs no background; The Priory of the Orange Tree and A Wizard of Earthsea each tell a complete tale; and The Name of the Wind reads beautifully even if you never pick up the sequel.
What's the difference between epic fantasy and grimdark?
Epic fantasy is grand in scale - world-saving quests, broadly heroic characters and deep invented history, like The Lord of the Rings or The Wheel of Time. Grimdark keeps that scale but strips out the comfort: morally grey characters, real and lasting consequences, and a harder, bloodier edge, as in The Blade Itself or A Game of Thrones.
More from the LoveReading blog
- What Is Romantasy? The Complete Guide to the Genre Everyone's Talking About (Plus Our Must-Read List)July 2023
- LoveReading's SciFi / Fantasy Picks of the MonthSeptember 2025
- Forever Fantasy - 10 Fabulous Fantasy Novels from the 1980'sFebruary 2023
More guides from our editors
Browse every title we have reviewed in this genre: Fantasy books.