What is High Fantasy?
High fantasy and low fantasy have different definitions for a lot of people. This makes it essential to define high fantasy for this list. The high fantasy books are those set in an alternate world. Whether the characters start in our world or not does not necessarily matter. If most of the story is set in an alternate, fantastic world with a magic system, GLF Books will count it as good enough for this list.
Categories of High Fantasy
It’s important to note that not every story fits neatly into one category. Categories in fantasy can bleed and blend into a melting pot. It is possible to have a high fantasy epic emphasizing romance. Does this make it an epic? Does this make it a romance? It’s okay to be both! This article attempts to place these books into categories that will be helpful to you! You’re more than welcome to disagree with their placement.
Classics
Certain high fantasy books are considered classics and If you haven’t read these and High Fantasy interests you, this might be the best place to start.
The Hobbit
The Hobbit is probably the most classic high fantasy book of all time. J.R.R. Tolkien is seen by almost everyone as the father of high fantasy for a reason and The Hobbit is where it all began.
The Hobbit follows the adventure of Bilbo Baggins as he heads off on an unexpected adventure.
Tolkien is a masterful writer. If you’re intimidated by his works, The Hobbit is a much easier read than Lord of the Rings and the story is easy to follow and enjoy.
The Lord of the Rings
J.R.R. Tolkiens’s The Lord of the Rings are a set of incredible epic high fantasy books. The series follows Frodo, the nephew of Bilbo Biggins, on his epic quest to destroy a ring of power.
This series is one of the high fantasy series that kicked it all off. It’s incredible but it may not be for you. The series is extremely descriptive, often dipping into what seem like unnecessary details about random things.
Nonetheless, it’s a fantastic series that you should at least try reading if high fantasy books interest you.
The Earthsea Cycle
Written in 1968 by Ursula K. Le Guin, The Earthsea Cycle has stood the test of time and has become a beloved fantasy series.
The Earthsea Cycle follows a young man who becomes a wizard’s apprentice. Living on an archipelago of hundreds of islands, the young wizard must come of age and save the world from evil.
Wheel of Time
Robert Jordan’s Wheel of Time is a fantasy classic that has won many readers to the fantasy genre. It’s one of the best high fantasy series out there but it’s not for everyone.
It’s an extremely long series comprising 14 books. Robert Jordan passed before he could complete the series and his widow chose Brandan Sanderson to finish the series.
The Wheel of Time has outstanding character development and a great storyline that you will love!
The Chronicles of Narnia
The Chronicles of Narnia is a classic high fantasy series. Each book follows different humans, or a combination of different humans, as they enter the land of Narnia.
The series is great for kids and adults as both will enjoy the storyline. Adults should be able to pull out some hidden meaning from the pages that kids may miss.
If you’re looking for high fantasy books to read and have never given this series a shot. This may be a great place to start.
Malazan The Book of the Fallen
The Malazan Book of the Fallen isn’t as old as many of the other books in this classical section. It’s been included here because it seems to be mentioned on many fantasy book recommendation forums and it’s old enough to have stood the test of some time.
This series is challenging! If you’re looking for an easy read, this isn’t what you’re looking for but if you’re looking to dive into something more complex and time-consuming, this series will be great for you. With that said, Malazan is one the best high fantasy series out there.
The Dragonlance Chronicles
The Dragonlance Chronicles were published during the 1980s by Margaret Weis and Tracy Hickman. The dungeons and dragons-inspired storyline follows a group of friends as they unite for an adventure. These lifelong friends must reunite together and become unexpected heroes.
The first book, Dragons of Autumn Twilight has a 4 star rating on Goodreads with over a hundred thousand ratings.
The Riftwar Saga
Written in the 1980s, the Riftwar Saga is a great starting place to get into the works of Raymond E. Feist and his large library of fantasy books. The Riftwar saga is part of the Riftwar Cycle.
The Riftwar Cycle is the name for books that take place in Feist’s Riftwar Universe. The cycle follows magicians who can create rifts in space and bring planets together.
The Magician’s Apprentice, the first book in the saga, has a rating of 4.45 on Goodreads with over 20,000 ratings. These are great high fantasy books to read and make a great introduction to the genre.
Epic High Fantasy Books
The Stormlight Archives
The Stormlight Archives by Brandon Sanderson is one of the best high fantasy series written recently. They are gigantic and follow a myriad of characters that suck you in and leave you wanting more.
The Stormlight Archives are arguably Brandon Sanderson’s best work and are brought up on almost every fantasy recommendation forum. The Way of Kings boasts a 4.66 star rating with over 500,000 ratings.
The Mistborn Trilogy
The Mistborn Trilogy is another masterwork of Brandon Sanderson. Published in 2006 Mistborn is one of his earlier works and unlike many books, it continues to do well over time selling many copies every year.
Mistborn follows a thief named Vin as she leans to trust others, and assimilates into a crew of other thieves. Not only is it a great story about friendship, but it shows Sanderson’s ability to build a unique world with a complex magic system.
This is a great entry point into Brandon Sanderson’s Cosmere universe and is one of the best high fantasy series to come out recently.
The Kingkiller Chronicle
The main character narrates the KingKiller Chronicle as he tells the story of his past. Full of action and excitement, the plot is sure to have you turning pages.
The Name of Wind, the first book in the chronicle boasts a 4.5 star rating on Goodreads with close to 1,000,000 ratings. These are great high fantasy books because of their unique storytelling and narration.
Memory, Sorrow and Thorn Trilogy
Memory, Sorrow, and Thorn is a high fantasy epic written in the 1990s. It takes place on a fictional continent called Osten Ard and has many fictional and human characters.
The series is slow and pretty straightforward. There aren’t many plot twists and the story is told through a political lens. Because of this, you get to know the characters pretty well. On the other hand, this is seen as boring by many and it very well might not be the series for you.
The Dragonbone Chair, the first of these epic high fantasy books, has a 3.97 star rating on Goodreads with over 70,000 reviews.
The Wizard Knight
The Wizard Knight is a novel with two separate volumes. The Wizard and The Knight follow a boy named Able as he is transported to a magical world where he becomes a knight. As he interacts with the world he is also dubbed a wizard.
The books don’t have a lot of ratings on Goodreads but many people on fantasy forums have a lot of good things to say about Gene Wolfe’s The Wizard Knight.
It’s fast-paced with something happening in every chapter making these great high fantasy books to read.
The Prince of Nothing
The Prince of Nothing isn’t for everyone. It’s a challenging read and it’s a little dark and bleak. The Prince of Nothing is part of a wider series by R. Scott Bakker called the 2nd Apocalypse.
The series contains three books, the first being The Darkness That Comes Before. These books are highly intertwined with philosophy which you may be into. Each of these books has just under a 4.0 rating on Goodreads, which is good for philosophical fiction.
The Gentleman Bastards
This series follows a group of thieves and con artists as they steal from the rich and give to nobody. Led by young Locke Lamora, this group is as elite as they come and the heists they pull off are fun to read about. Morally questionable at best, this group might just be what you want to read about next.
The first book in the series, The Lies of Locke Lamora was Scott Lynch’s debut fantasy novel published in 2006. This series has a bit of a cult following and boasts a 4.3 star rating on Goodreads.
This series isn’t complete, only 3 of the planned 7 books have made it to market.
The Death Gate Cycle
High fantasy books are famous for the world-building and among high fantasy books, The Death Gate Cycle is known for its world-building! This series is also heavily dragon-centered. If you love dragons, this might be what you want.
Though the world-building in the series is great, it’s a slow-burn storyline. Some reviewers say that it’s more enjoyable for a younger audience. So if you’re looking to get a series for your kid to enjoy, perhaps a long one that will keep them reading for a while, look no further than The Death Gate Cycle.
Kings of Wyld – Unique
The Kings the Wyld is an irreverent adult fantasy comedy following a group of old mercenaries who have become fat, drunk, and lazy.
Published in 2017, The Kings of the Wyld is one of the newer books on this list. This book is extremely funny but some readers claim that the jokes seem forced.
This book has a 4.28 rating on Goodreads with many people loving it and very few disliking it.
Dark Fantasy
The Black Tongue Thief
The Black Tongue Thief isn’t the most high fantasy of high fantasy books, but it still fits the category well.
It’s about a thief who owes his guild a lot of money in exchange for their training. Because of his debt, he decides to lie in wait and rob the next passerby.
Published in 2021, it is one of the newer books on the list. Written by Christopher Buehlman, it’s a fun darker fantasy that you might enjoy.
The Black Company
If you like high fantasy with a darker bend, try this high fantasy epic. The series follows an elite mercenary unit through 40 years of massive history as they follow an evil sorcerress.
It’s well-written and dark which is appealing to a lot of people. The series is complete so you can binge-read it if you’d like. It’s 10 books long so it is a lot of reading.
The first book in the Chronicles has a 3.98 star rating which is good for such a niche high fantasy book.
Fantasy Romance
Uprooted
Uprooted follows a young village girl who helps the local wizard battle the evils that seek to take over their land.
This is a mentor/mentee romance in which the wizard is immortal and much older than the 17-year-old protagonist Agnieszka. Some people have a problem with this so keep that in mind before reading.
On the other hand, the story is great with many compelling characters and a fun whimsical storyline.
The Empyrean Series
Popularized by Tic Tok, Rebecca Yarros’ The Empyrean Series is one of the newest on our list. It’s an action-packed, brutal romance novel about featuring a college for dragon riders.
With an interesting world, this is a great read and a good introduction to the fantasy genre. It’s easy to understand or follow and has fantasy elements, such as worldbuilding, that fantasy readers love.
It’s got a cult following with a 4.58 on Goodreads with over 1.5 million ratings.
ACOTAR
A Court Of Thorns and Roses by Sarah J. Maas is one of the most popular fantasy romance series to be published recently. The world that Sarah has created is elegant and quite simple but her characters are quite complex.
The first book in the series has over 2.5 million ratings and boasts a 4.19 on Goodreads. This series has been widely read with many people loving it. If you’re looking for a high fantasy romance series, this is a solid option for you.
YA High Fantasy
A Throne of Glass Series
Sarah J. Mass has written one of the best high fantasy series for young adults with her Throne of Glass Series.
This series, like ACOTAR, takes place in a fae world but at a different time. The series follows an assassin in a corrupt kingdom. The series also has a strong romance element so if you’re into that, these may be the best high fantasy books for you.
Many reviewers think the later books in the series are better than the first book. Despite this common belief, the first book still retains a 4.18 rating on Goodreads with over 1.5 million ratings.
House of the Dead Duology
Bone Smith by Nicki Pau Preto follows young protagonist Wren as she navigates her duties of releasing the ghosts of the dead.
The characters in Bone Smith are extremely well-written with great development. The series doesn’t has a strong magic system but it’s still considered high fantasy for sure.
Bone Smith is one of the best high fantasy books I’ve read recently and is still relatively unknown. The next book in the duology comes out later this year and I’m excited to see what Nicki Pau Preto does with the storyline.
An Ember in The Ashes Seires
The series An Ember in the Ashes are some of the best young adult high fantasy books recently published. The series is incredibly entertaining with a forbidden love subplot.
It follows Laia, a spy for the resistance, and Elias an elite warrior for the empire as they escape the empire and fall in love.
The first book in the series has almost 300 thousand ratings on Goodreads with an average score of 4.25.
The Mirror Visitor Quartet
The Mirror Visitor Quartet is a classic beauty and the beast love story between Ophelia and Thorn. They live on different arks of a shattered earth. When Ophelia is commanded by her arks leaders to marry Thorn, she is whisked away to the Pole where must learn to integrate into a new family dyanmic.
The Mirror Visitor has a beautiful cover that matches the beautiful budding romance that gets better with each book in the quartet.
The Mirror Visitor Quartet is still relatively unknown but it’s a fantastic story with a 4.03 rating on Goodreads with over 100,000 ratings.
The First Law Trilogy
The First Law Trilogy is a great set of high fantasy books to read. It’s a character-driven high fantasy trilogy with a lot to praise. The biggest praise though is that of the amazing characters that draw you in and have you keep turning the page.
The Blade Itself is the first book in the series and has a 4.21 rating on Goodreads with over 250 thousand ratings.
Complex Fantasy
The Rook and Roses Trilogy
This trilogy is complex with a lot of moving parts. These politically driven high fantasy books with many twists and turns. The characters are interesting and will have you turning the pages due to their complex nature.
The world is also incredibly descriptive and fun to be a part of which is an important bit of the the best high fantasy books.
Though this book isn’t for everyone, if you’re into complex political structures and a twisty story, you’ll love this trilogy.
Stand Alone
Lions of Al-Rassan
The Lions of AL-Rassan is a classic epic high fantasy stand-alone. If you’re looking to get your feet wet in the high fantasy genre but don’t want to commit to a long series, this might be your best bet.
This is an excellent book with a compelling story that has it all. It’s got love, action, and divided loyalties to keep you enterained.
The book has a 4.30 rating on Goodreads with over 23 thousand ratings.
Thank you for reading our list of high fantasy books. We’ve tried to come up with a good mix of lesser-known high fantasy books to read and popular books that everyone has at least heard of. Whether you like epic high fantasy books or are searching for the best high fantasy series, hopefully, this list has helped you.
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