20 best books in the fantasy genre

Over the years, good fantasy books have taken people to other places and times. And since the beginning of the 21st century, fantasy has truly burst into the mainstream thanks to the success of Game of Thrones, The Lord of the Rings and Harry Potter.

We invite you to remember the best of the best, having collected the top 20 most popular books in the fantasy genre. At the same time, we will be a little deceitful and will indicate both individual books and entire cycles in which each book is worthy of mention.

All rating participants are arranged in no particular order. Perhaps not all of your favorites made it to this list, but this is only because it cannot contain absolutely all masterpieces.

20. A Song of Ice and Fire by George R. R. Martin

The popularity of the series based on Martin's books (though not all of them) has been phenomenal for several years. The A Song of Ice and Fire series currently counts five books and remains unfinished, much to the chagrin of fans.

If you like numerous intricate storylines, a cast of characters, none of whom are immune to death, and a world full of lords, knights, bastards, wizards, conspirators, heroes and antiheroes, then you will be in awe of Martin's books.

A Song of Ice and Fire has magic, intrigue, mystery and a lot of romance; in fact, a world similar and not similar to ours, and certainly not similar to the standard magical worlds with noble elves and evil orcs.

19. "The Chronicles of Derini", Katherine Kurtz

Katherine Kurtz's books begin with Derini Rebirth, which introduces readers to a land where the magically gifted Derini race must keep the power of their bloodline a secret.

In the first book, Prince Kelson must master his Derini powers to challenge a powerful foe. Written in the early 70s, The Chronicles of Derini managed to avoid imitating Tolkien, and gave readers an original (for those times) plot.

18. The Chronicles of Narnia, C. S. Lewis

A series of works by K.S. Lewis is a great example of well-executed portal fantasy. Each of his works seems complete and gives different perspectives on the world of Narnia.

Narnia is a beautiful country where children from an ordinary English family (Lucy, Peter, Susan and Edmund) got straight from the wardrobe. There they discovered magic, magical creatures that cannot be found on Earth, and Aslan, the Great Lion. And it changed their lives forever.

The Chronicles of Narnia may seem like too much of a children's reading for adults, but for primary school children and adolescents, these are excellent books for out-of-school reading that teach mercy, courage and justice.

17.The Witcher, Andrzej Sapkowski

Before transferring to one of the best games of the decade Geralt of Rivia was a character in a series of books written by the Polish writer Andrzej Sapkowski.

And if you think The Witcher 3 is one of the best fantasy games of all time, then believe that the Sapkowski series is also one of the best fantasy books of all time.

This is not yet the case for Netflix's The Witcher, but it may have everything ahead of it. And we will also pay the cinematic Geralt, if not with hard cash, then with hot audience love, as it was with the first seasons of Game of Thrones.

16. The Riders of Pern by Anne McCaffrey

Lessa, considered by most to be an ordinary kitchen servant, decides it's time to return the stolen birthright. But she is destined for a fate much more majestic than becoming the mistress of a beggar settlement-hold.

Lessa meets the dragon queen, forming a quick and strong mental bond with her. Dragons and their riders must defend the planet Pern from the Threads that burn everything in their path, but at what cost?

The Pern cycle is very prolific, with 28 books. Some of them were written by Anne McCaffrey in collaboration with her son, Todd McCaffrey. Georgina McCaffrey wrote the last book called "The Code of Dragons" (not published in Russia).

15. The Sword of Truth by Terry Goodkind

One of the most controversial fantasy series has been the product of Terry Goodkind's epic fantasy cycle.

It starts with The Wizard's First Rule and follows Truth Seeker Richard Cypher in his fight against the dark forces of the world.

14. The Wizard of Earthsea by Ursula K. Le Guin

When the late Ursula Le Guin wrote The Wizard of Earthsea, she did it to turn the traditional perspective on fantasy imagery, introducing a dark-skinned protagonist into the plot and showing what a wise wizard looks like in youth and recklessness.

Young Ged, nicknamed Sparrowhawk, longs for the glory of the great sorcerer of Earthsea, but makes a terrible mistake. And as a result, a terrible monster penetrates into the material world - the Shadow, constantly pursuing Ged.

Now the Hawk must defeat the ancient dragon and fight the Shadow, having learned its True name.

"The Wizard of Earthsea" was filmed twice, in the form of a TV movie and an anime by Goro Miyazaki, but Ursula Le Guin herself did not approve of these adaptations, considering them more like films based on her books.

13. The Chronicles of Amber by Roger Zelazny

The classic series of ten books by Zelazny is the best kind of portal fantasy for adults. "The Chronicles of Amber" tells about the life of the royal family of Amber (in other translations - Amber or Amber Kingdom) and the Courts of Chaos, as well as the conflicts between them.

Zelazny has been a source of inspiration for many of today's great fantasy writers, and while the series about the princes of Amber is fifty years old, it is still loved and popular.

12. The Last Unicorn by Peter S. Beagle

This cult fantasy is filled with wonder and hope that can offer a pleasing contrast to dark and brutal fantasy like A Song of Ice and Fire.

The Last Unicorn, released back in 1968, is still a pleasure to read, and may surprise you with its depth - at times the book becomes philosophical and even sad, but, in fact, remains a beautiful and compassionate story. And of course, the 1982 animated film is worth watching.

11. "The Wheel of Time" by Robert Jordan

With Amazon planning to release an adaptation of Robert Jordan's 14-book epic series in 2021, now is the time to read the series that influenced the fantasy scene of the 90s in many ways.

Jordan's cycle (which was completed by Brandon Sanderson after his death) offers readers a detailed, magic-filled world and a huge number of characters. It stands out for its interesting system of Unified Power, which obeys a special form of the laws of thermodynamics, as well as the inclusion of many female characters in the main characters.

10. The Chronicles of Thomas Covenant the Unbeliever by Stephen R. Donaldson

One of the best series of dark fantasy novels won the British Fantasy Prize in 1979. Its main character, a misanthrope and a whiner with leprosy, is completely unlike a typical fantasy hero.

Rejected by his surroundings due to illness, Thomas finds himself in the Land, which he believes is the result of his sick imagination. And the world into which he finds himself hardly deserves just such a savior. But here you really don't have to choose ...

9. "The Saga of the Eternal Warrior" by Michael Moorcock

The famous English science fiction writer has published several novels, united by the theme of the Eternal Warrior - "one soul, many faces." The four incarnations of the Warrior are best known: Elric of Melibone, Dorian Hawkmoon, Prince Corum, and Erikese of the Remeber

Each Warrior fights with a special weapon, has a faithful friend who remembers his incarnations, and a beloved, and has a physical feature that clearly distinguishes him from other people.

But regardless of the appearance and the world in which the main protagonist finds himself, his mission is the same - the salvation of the world and the restoration of the Cosmic Balance, which he serves (sometimes not willingly).

Many songs have been written based on the work of Moorcock, but, unlike many participants in the list of the best fantasy of all time, the Eternal Warrior did not get into games and films. For now.

8. The Saga of the Spear, Laura & Tracy Hickman, Margaret Weis

The books included in "The Saga of the Spear" demonstrate a rare literary quality - versatility.

They are easy to read, have a full set of fantasy clichés, but at the same time they know how to be absolutely charming and fun. And they are the benchmark for the D&D system. It cannot be called a great book; rather, it is an important element of fantasy culture, one of the doors through which we can enter the world of heroic fantasy.

7. "Chronicles of the Black Squad", Glen Cook

One of the best fantasy universes influenced Martin's A Song of Ice and Fire, and is worth checking out.

Is the recently resurrected Lady the force between humanity and evil, or is she herself evil? Stalwart and firm mercenaries from the Black Squad, who find themselves in the very center of world upheavals, do their job until the White Rose - the main enemy of the Lady and her Sovereign - is reborn, embodying good ... or not.

6. The Saga of Drizzt Do'Urden by Robert Salvatore

Drizzt is not quite the correct spelling of the name of the dark elf, created by Robert Salvatore, the author himself called his character Drizzt. But the Russian publishing house "Maxim" considered that Drizzt sounded dissonant to the Russian ear.

Be that as it may, the character has become one of the favorite among Russian and foreign fans of the fantasy genre. The World of Fantastic magazine even gave the dark elf the second line in the list of the main fantasy characters in history (the first went to Frodo Baggins).

5. "Mythic cycle", Robert Asprin

A cheerful, exciting and full of humor fantasy, in which there are demons and demons and magicians and dragons, and many other creatures, but not at all what we know them from the books of other authors.

In the world of Asprin (or rather, in the worlds) stereotypes break, and a dangerous creature can hide under the guise of a cute child - and vice versa.

Despite the ease with which the "MYTH" books are read, it was difficult for Asprin to write them. The cycle began in 1979, and the first six books were written quickly enough. But then the author, with great difficulty (according to him), wrote four more and put the project on the shelf due to problems with the tax office. He completed the last 2 books of the 12-volume series in 2001-2002.

Unlike several books by Terry Pratchett, also related to the masterpieces of humorous fantasy, "The MYTH cycle" was never filmed.

4. "Harry Potter" by J.K. Rowling

If Tolkien laid the foundations for 20th century fantasy, Rowling laid the foundations for the next generation. Like it or not, we'll see echoes of the Harry Potter books for decades.

So if you love good books about magic, wizardry and the challenges of growing up, then the Harry Potter series is one of the best fantasy series of all time.

3. "Conan of Cimmeria" by Robert E. Howard

I confess to you, dear readers, that the books about Conan were my desk books in my youth. He was the hero that teenage dreams so lacked - a born leader, uncompromising, noble, incredibly strong and had his own code of honor.

Only a small part of the books about Conan were written by Robert Howard, who left our world early. After his death, Conaniada was continued by other science fiction writers, including Paul Anderson, Robert Jordan, Steve Perry, Lyon Sprague de Camp, and Lin Carter.

The fact that the saga of the outrageous barbarian from Cimmeria was able to achieve overwhelming commercial success could not but affect the fantasy industry as a whole. Imitations of Howard led to the creation of the fantasy of sword and magic subgenre. At the same time, not all authors did "tracing paper" from Conan, there were "anti-Conans" and even parodies, such as Cohen the Barbarian - one of the heroes of the Discworld cycle.

In addition to Cohen, parodies of the Cimmerian are Ronal the Barbarian from the cartoon of the same name, Korgoth from Barbarian (a character in the pilot episode of the same name, which production has been stopped) and Condon the Barbarian from the novel "Miracle-Bore" by Harry Turtledave.

2. "Discworld" by Terry Pratchett

Sir Terence Pratchett is no longer with us, but his gift to all lovers of good fantasy remains - worlds generously filled with magic, irony and charismatic heroes.

Managing to joke about such serious things as politics, science, religion and even death, Pratchett created over 40 novels included in the Discworld cycle, and the total circulation of his books amounted to more than 70 million copies.

Some of Pratchett's books have been made into films (Santa Gryakus, Honoring, The Color of Magic). And in 2017, the BBC released a documentary series about the life of Terry Pratchett himself. You can watch it with Russian subtitles.

1. "The Lord of the Rings" by John Ronald Ruel Tolkien

This is, without exaggeration, the most influential fantasy of all time. And this is not only the personal opinion of the author of the article. In 2003, The Lord of the Rings was ranked number one on the BBC's 200 Best Books.

Modern fantasy sagas such as "Harry Potter" and "A Song of Ice and Fire" have reached incredible levels of popularity around the world, but will any of them be equally loved and famous in sixty-six years? The best they can hope for is a mention alongside Tolkien's masterpieces.